Gladius
by CaveAdministration
Summary: The Roman Empire is young and seeking power, and its forces are spreading across the known world. Sakura might think that her home is too small and unimportant to the Romans, that her family will be safe, but Rome is unforgiving in its conquest. Edited as of 2/2/19
1. Familia

The boiling sun beat down on the town as wind blew around the buildings and sand whispered through the streets.

Sakura huffed in exhaustion as she settled into a stance. She shifted into another, muscles straining with the weight of her sword. A side step. A block. A parry. She moved fluidly into a sweeping cut, sweat soaked hair whipping into her face, before a shout drew her out of her thoughts.

"Sakura!"

She lowered her weapon and turned away from the endless expanse of the desert to see a hazy figure running towards her. As they came into focus, she grinned. "Kankuro, what are you doing all the way out here?"

"Temari's on the warpath, I set one of her fans on fire..." Kankuro panted out. "Think you can hide me for a while?"

Sakura laughed. "I won't tell her where you are, but if she wants vengeance then I'll let her have it." She sat down on the sand below and patted the ground next to her. "Have a little rest before she finds you."

With a sigh, Kankuro settled down on the dune, his laboured breathing calming with every passing second. "Why not? If this is my last day on Earth, then I might as well take it slow."

"So, why'd you set Temari's fan on fire?" Sakura asked. "A sudden penchant for pyromania? Perhaps revenge for a well-deserved insult?"

"Hey!" Kankuro whined in mock offence. "I may be annoying but it's not always my fault. And it was an accident! She just leaves her fans everywhere and I didn't notice it when I lit the fire."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "And why were you lighting a fire?"

Kankuro wriggled his feet further into the sand.

"Gaara was bored and I thought some shadow puppets might excite him, and it did work for a while until the fire got just a little bit out of control. Temari's fan just happened to be lying next to it on the table."

"So, do you think that was a good idea?"

Kankuro let out a huff. "Considering the flaming fan and shrieking sister, maybe not. But Gaara did like the puppets! Even for just a little bit..."

Sakura reached over to rustle Kankuro's hair, his brown locks sticking up in messy spikes from the drying sweat. "At least you only burnt the fan and you didn't burn down the house. Next time make sure Temari or I am there. Just in case."

"But Temari's only three years older." Kankuro swatted away her hand. "And she started cooking by herself at my age!"

"She also got permission from me first, and I made sure she knew exactly what she was doing," Sakura scolded. She shifted closer to his side and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "If you were so eager, why didn't you just ask?"

"You've been so busy lately: every week you double your workload and I didn't want to disturb you." He lent against her side. "Plus, Gaara's been asking for more of your time. I just wanted to help out."

Sakura rested her head atop of Kankuro's and let out a sigh. "I'm looking after you, remember? But if you wanted something to do, you only needed to ask. Maybe teach Gaara more of his letters and numbers or ask Temari for something to do."

"She thinks I'm too dumb to help Gaara. Something about my spelling being worse than a six year old. In my defence, Gaara's way too smart for his age." Kankuro pouted. "One day he'll know more than her and she'll know how it feels!"

Sakura let out a chuckle. "We'll see, but how about tonight you cook dinner with me while Temari teaches Gaara. You can help me out and Temari won't bully you."

Letting out a beaming smile, Kankuro hugged Sakura tightly. "Yes! I'll be so helpful! Soon you'll want me all the time, not Temari." He thrust a fist into the air. "I'll usurp her throne and stand victorious in the ashes of her defeat!"

A snort escaped Sakura as she returned Kankuro's enthusiastic hug. "Don't get too ahead of yourself, you've got a long way to go before you surpass Temari's culinary skills. But I believe in you."

Silence fell over the two as they watched the sun crawl across the midday sky. Clouds drifted occasionally to cover them from its burning rays. Frequently,a bird would squawk from the river, the ambiance making them sleepy in the desert heat.

Kankuro let out a whisper. "You don't think those rumours are true, do you?"

"What? That old lady Chiyo keeps scorpions for pets? Or Ebizo never wears anything under his robes?"

"Ew!" Kankuro scrunched up his nose. "Neither of those! I meant what the visitors say about Rome and its army. That they're marching towards the continent. That they're marching towards us."

Sakura looked towards the horizon and the ever-changing landscape. "The elders say that the end of Carthage would sate the Romans, but now that they've become an empire... Well I can't say for certain what the new leadership could mean. Hopefully, even if they do keep expanding, we'll be seen as too weak to be a threat. Maybe they'll leave us alone and focus on the larger cities to the south."

"I hope they do," said Kankuro as he mirrored Sakura's gaze into the distance.

Sakura glanced down at Kankuro, her eyes soft in concern. She stood abruptly, picking her sword up in the process, and turned to face the village. "Well we've been out here long enough, and the day is running out."

Sakura started walking briskly towards the small cream coloured buildings before her as Kankuro scrambled to his feet to follow.

"Wait for me!"

"You'd better hurry if you don't want to be left behind." Sakura upped her walk to a jog. "There is work to be done in the fields and you have a sister to answer to."

She smiled as she heard Kankuro's cries of betrayal and broke into a run, leaving the desert to fade into the distance as, in front of her, the buildings of Suna encompassed her view.

As Sakura raced through the streets, the buildings and people flashed past her, their greetings swift and her replies just as quick.

Sakura continued her sprint throughout the village until she skidded to a stop before a squat building in the middle of town.

She glanced behind her and saw no sign of Kankuro following her. "He needs to pick up his pace," she mused. "A longer run in the morning will do him good."

The sound of a door slamming open made her turn in surprise.

"Kankuro you cowa – oh! Sakura! I thought you were someone else." The girl poked her head around the door frame and glanced up and down the street. "You haven't seen Kankuro, have you? I need to murder him."

"Well Temari, if you promise to only cause minor injury then he'll be coming around that corner in about... 10 seconds."

Temari glanced up at Sakura in surprise. "How do you know that?"

"Easy: witchcraft."

True to her words, Kankuro flew around the corner and as he raced closer, his face contorted into one of terror when he saw Temari standing next to Sakura.

"Holy mother of a-" Kankuro slipped on the sand as he scrambled to turn around and stop at the same time, falling to the ground in front of the two who immediately burst into laughter.

Kankuro looked up at them. "Where's the sympathy? That hurt."

"I'm sure you'll be fine. What do you say Temari? That enough of a punishment?"

Temari tapped a finger against her chin and hummed. "I suppose it'll have to do if he does my chores for the rest of the week."

Kankuro jumped back up and started to protest before Temari wacked him in the back of the head. Naturally, he doubled over, clutching his head and whined in pain.

"Please," said Temari. "You've got a hard head, you'll be fine."

"Well I trust you two are mature enough to sort this out." Sakura started walking into the house. "I'm just here to get Gaara before heading off to the river."

The house was short with solid walls and shutters for protection against the desert. Although it looked small, barely a tiny room from above, steps led down from the surface to a larger area to keep the house cool during the scorching day. The space below would be dark without the slits in the roof to let in the light.

Sakura made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen to see a young boy with red hair sleeping at the table.

Walking closer, she picked him up and held him to her chest. He stirred in his slumber and she ran her fingers through his hair.

He lifted his head and blinked bleary eyes at Sakura's soft touch. "Sakura? What're you doing here?"

Sakura felt a smile grow on her face. "Hey Gaara, have a nice nap?"

Gaara nodded his head and shifted closer in Sakura's hold.

"I'll take that as a very enthusiastic yes. I hate to wake you up but it's time to go down to the river. Don't you want to play in the water?"

Gaara perked up his head in sudden interest and let out a long yawn. "The river? Of course!"

"Well I'm leaving now, so if you want to come with then you'd better wake up properly."

This time Gaara's nod was eager and he clambered down from Sakura's arms, seizing her arm as he ran towards the front door. "Hurry up! I want to swim and play with the sand!"

Sakura laughed as she let Gaara drag her upstairs and into the sunlight above, grabbing hats on the way out. They passed Temari and Kankuro on the street, now arguing about his 'punishment', as they headed in the opposite direction of the vast desert: towards the river.

They slowed their walk when they reached the lazy river and the abundant fields beyond. Sakura stopped after crossing to the other bank to crouch before Gaara and look him in the eyes.

"You know the rules. Don't wander too far or go too deep, look out for crocodiles, and shout if something happens. I'll be right over there so if you need me, I'll hear you."

Gaara nodded his head seriously. "I know, I know. I promise I'll be careful."

"Good, and one last thing, have fun."

Gaara let out a smile and, after a quick hug, he ran down to the bank of the river, stripping off his outer clothes until he could swim freely in the water.

Sakura waved at his retreating form before trudging up the river bank and walking into the tall stalks of grains and wheat, almost ready for harvest. At the edge lay a collection of tools for the workers to use as they farmed the crops. Picking up a hoe, Sakura stood next to the untilled soil. She raised her arms and sucked in a breath before bringing them down to disrupt the earth below.

Sakura continued her work until the sun was nearing the horizon and her body ached. Sometimes she would hear Gaara laugh from the river as he played in the water, but she halted her movements at the sound of his voice.

"Sakura! Someone's here to see you!"

Standing up taller to look along the river, Sakura could just see a figure wading towards her, and she sighed in exasperation. Reluctantly, she waved her hand up high in the air to show where she was standing in the vast fields.

The man waved back and adjusted his course. He finally reached her, and a sheepish smile spread across his face. "I was free for the rest of the afternoon and thought I could help out...?"

"That depends, Baki. I was just about to finish up for the day but maybe if we work together, we can get through another row."

Baki's face lit up at the opportunity to help her and Sakura groaned inwardly in despair. He was very sweet, but she should stop encouraging him. She just couldn't bring herself to shut him down.

Sakura smiled back, hoping her inner struggle wasn't too obvious. "Well you start with that end and I'll start here. We can meet up in the middle?"

"Sounds like a plan," Baki said over his shoulder as he picked up a hoe and made his way to the other end of the field.

The work was quite pleasant, but Sakura could feel Baki's heavy gaze on her as their distance grew shorter with every swing. He'd been trying to wriggle his way into her life since her move to town a few years ago, but she didn't want him to. He also couldn't seem to take a hint.

As they tilled the final patches of dirt, Baki turned to face her and lent on his hoe. "So... you aren't busy tonight, are you?"

"Sorry, I have to look after the kids, Kankuro's getting a cooking lesson." Sakura straightened up and shuffled her feet nervously on the ground. "He'll need all the help that he can get."

"Temari can't teach him?"

"No, I promised to help him myself. I couldn't just let him down like that."

"You always have so much time for them, even though they're not actually yours... can't you have a little bit of time for me?"

Sakura stiffened and eyed Baki coldly. "We may not be related, but they'll always be family." She spun on her heel and starting walking towards the river. "You'd do well to remember that."

Baki blanched and hurried to rectify his mistake. "That's not what I meant at all! Sakura!"

"I'll see you later Baki." Sakura placed the hoe back in its proper place before striding towards Gaara, who was still playing in the shallow water. "Come on kid, time to go."

Gaara looked up in disappointment but swam to the edge and pulled on his clothes. Behind her, Sakura could hear Baki shouting at her to wait, but she hurried across the river towards the village with Gaara in tow. She couldn't bring herself to talk to him. Not after what he'd said, intentional or not.

She might have only been their sister for barely five years, but they were her family now, and they came first.

Baki and the field faded into the distance as they got closer to home. Above their heads, the light faded as the sun dropped out of the sky.

As Gaara and Sakura rushed through the front door, the cooling air followed them into the house. In the kitchen down below, Temari was lighting the fire while Kankuro finished closing the shutters in the ceiling.

The change of routine was abrupt, but not unwelcome. Temari taught Gaara his numbers and letters while Kankuro helped Sakura cook. They chopped the food, roasted the meat, and ate together. All the while Sakura wondered.

She thought about what her life would be like without these kids. Kankuro, the unruly brother. Temari, always responsible, and Gaara, the one who needed the most from her, who she gave the most to.

Baki was a fool. Without these kids she was nothing and although her life might revolve around them, that's how it should be. And as she sat at the table and watched them bicker over their dinner, she smiled and hoped it would never change.

It was late. Temari and Kankuro went to sleep in their rooms and Gaara crawled once again into her bed to fend away the nightmares and monsters of the night.

Sakura sighed in contentment and held him closer. Life wasn't perfect but it didn't have to be to be worth living. She closed her eyes and drifted into unconsciousness.

Sakura fell asleep in darkness. She awoke to fire and screams.

Notes:

Hey people, I'm a long time (fan)fiction reader and a first-time writer. I'm also a huge fan of ancient history so why not mash together two completely different things and practice writing at the same time. I've also tried to make this story as historically accurate as possible, so the end notes are a place for proof that I'm not making all this stuff about Rome up.

The biggest thing in the first chapter is that the story is set about 120 years after the destruction of Carthage (146BC), and a few years after the overthrow of the Roman Republic at about the time Augustus/Octavius's reign began (27BC) as Caesar still technically ran a democratic style of Government and Augustus was the first emperor.

If you haven't already guessed yet, Suna is based in Africa; close to the Mediterranean with enough contact to Carthage to know what happened, and small enough to be considered unimportant. The Empire is expanding after its internal political turmoil and constant shifts in leadership and Rome (which is basically Konoha, but I've kept 'Earth's' name) is busy expanding to its max possible size at around 117AD. However, all the dates, events, and locations won't be perfect, especially as the story deviates from history.

Leave comments. Or don't.

Bye


	2. Carnage

First, she smelt the smoke as it wafted down from above, filling her lungs. Then she felt the heat; its burning intensity making her blood boil beneath her skin. Finally, the screams of terror from the streets jolted her awake.

Sakura gasped as she scrambled out of the bed. She began coughing as she breathed in the smoke. With tears streaming down her face from her watering eyes, she rushed to Gaara's side and shook him awake.

"Hurry," she rasped. "We have to get Temari and Kankuro and get out of here."  
Gaara's eyes widened in terror as he too started wheezing from the smoke filling the room.

They hurried towards Kankuro's room, slamming open the door just as he was crossing towards her. He looked just as terrified as Gaara.

"What's going on?" yelled Temari from the hallway.

"Quick! Grab the emergency packs, we have to get out of here!"

Temari ran to the kitchen and shoved food and canteens of water into a bag filled with supplies while Sakura pulled her sword and battle-axe down from the wall. Kankuro yanked Gaara towards the door, snatching their cloaks on the way out.

Sakura herded the three of them up the stairs and through the entrance, only to be greeted by chaos. Fire was blazing down the street, growing stronger as it ate the wooden shutters, signs, and doors of the buildings.

Soldiers astride powerful stallions raced past. In the flickering, blinding light, Sakura could see golden eagles glinting off their breastplates. Romans, and they were razing Suna to the ground.

Sakura pushed the kids behind her and raised her weapons in defence as another group numbering just over half-a-dozen rode past. They didn't show any interest until the straggler at the end noticed her and broke off from the convoy to attack.

The soldier swung down with his sword which Sakura blocked by crossing her own sword and axe. She then twisted them together and spun, yanking the sword out of the soldier's grasp and pulling him to the ground.

"Stay back!" She threatened. "Or I will kill you."

The man scrambled backwards but sneered when he saw her face. "A common whore?" He started to rise up from the ground. "You think you can beat me?"

Swiftly, Sakura stepped forward and slit his throat with the tip of her sword. "Yes, I do." He slumped over on the ground, blood spraying from his throat and the light leaving his eyes.

"Hey!" A voice yelled from behind her. She whirled around to face the rest of the troops that must have heard the commotion and turned back.

"Drop your weapons and surrender to the Roman Empire."

"Leave us be, and what happened to your friend will not happen to you."

At her words, the man talking saw his comrade lying on the ground in a pool of blood. His face contorted in anger and he roared his rage. "Attack! Don't let that bitch live."

It was almost depressing how quickly Sakura destroyed them. Her defence and attack were methodical. No wasted movements. No unthoughtful actions. As the first man swung his weapon, she parried with her sword and removed his head off with her axe. The next man fell just as easily. Her strength and technique were unchallenged in this fight and it ended swiftly. By the time all the bodies had hit the ground, limbs were strewn around her in a grotesque artwork and blood covered the street.

She wiped her weapons on the sandy ground to clean them and turned to face the horrified faces of her family behind her.

"What..." Kankuro let in a shaky breath. "What was that?"

"I did what I had to do. Now come on, we have to get out of here." As if a spell had been broken, Sakura's expression softened from its previous steel and the children hurried forward in relief to begin their escape.

It was difficult to make their way to the edge of Suna from the centre of town. Sakura could confront the soldiers who roamed throughout, pillaging and murdering, but with so many enemies whose attention she could draw at once, it was too dangerous. Especially as she had to care for Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara.

They made their way through the shadows, but while there were no villagers in sight, they could hear the screams. Commotion was building behind them as the soldiers that Sakura had killed were found, and her anxiety that they might be caught grew tenfold.

As they stood pressed against an alley wall, more soldiers rushed past them, bellowing orders to find the culprit. Sakura waited until their voices faded before peaking around the corner. In front of them was a large building, easily recognisable despite the fire burning away its signage. It was the Inn, which meant that the easiest way out town was close, very close.

But, Sakura glanced at the children behind her as they cowered in fear, although she might be able to make it to the nearest town, Gaara would at least need a steed for the trip. Unfortunately, that meant making it in and out of the stables right near the entrance to Suna, where the troops would be most concentrated.

She bit her lip thoughtful. What if she ushered them outside the city before returning to steal their horses? No. She shook her head. If someone found them, she was their best chance of protection and that meant she had to bring them with her.

Turning around, she knelt and placed her hands upon Temari's shoulders. "You have to listen carefully, to get out of here we need horses, and that means sneaking in and out of the stables."

"But that's near the front of town! Isn't that dangerous?"

"Yes, but it's the only option we have. You and Kankuro must keep a lookout. Alert me if you see anything. Most importantly, you must look after Gaara. Are we clear?"

Temari sucked in a breath. "Yes," she said with barely a quiver in her voice. Kankuro gave her a stiff nod.

"You're all so brave." Sakura gathered the three of them into a hug. "We just have to make it out of here and then we're free."

She rose and they fell in step behind her, Temari taking up the rear and Kankuro holding Gaara's hand in the middle. Sparing another look down the street, they hurried towards freedom.

As they approached the entrance to Suna, the screams increased in volume. Sakura felt dread creep up on her like a spider in the night or a shiver up the spine and it took effort to not voice her fears out loud. But when the large marketplace that marked the gate out of Suna came into view, she flinched in horror.

In front her, the people of Suna, what seemed like the entire population, were being sorted and killed. Her friends, the people she had known and loved while she lived in Suna were being systematically slaughtered.

The weak, the old, the crippled; they all were being put to the sword and those who resisted fared no better. Few submitted and were forced into chains, but Suna people were headstrong so there were more heads on the ground than not.

Panicked, Sakura shoved the three children behind her into a house through its broken door, just as a yell echoed across the courtyard.

It was Baki. He rushed towards the captives, bellowing his rage and swinging his pickaxe. His wild attacks took out two men before a sword was thrust through his heart. In that moment, time seemed to slow to a crawl - a rush of blood to the head, a deafening pounding in her ears, and as the colour poured out of his body and the life drained from his eyes, Sakura could have sworn he looked at her. And she saw red.

Baki may have been a man she did not love, but he was one that she cared for. A minor casualty in an invasion of foreigners and although her heart grew heavier at all the other deaths, Baki's was what finally shattered it and his bravery broke through her cowardice.

She sprinted forward, with murder in her eyes and a promise in her steps. In the corners of her mind, she remembered the children who were left defenceless in that house but that was only a thought, gone as quickly as it came. As she reached the spot where Baki lay dead, she angled her sword and pierced the man who had killed him through the throat, pinning him to the ground. A wet gurgle escaped him as he clawed at the weapon and died in less time than it took to blink.

Men rushed to his side. She needed to free those of Suna who still lived, and then they had to leave, now, before more soldiers heard the cries, before there was no chance of escape. Sakura turned to face everyone sprinting towards her, weapons drawn to kill, and they sliced through bone and skin alike. But as she pulled her sword out of a corpse, her eyes saw black commas spinning on a field of red, and she collapsed into a dreamless sleep.

Some say the gods blessed the Earth and that humans were their favourite creation. Some say that those myths are a load of horseshit. However, none could doubt the power that some people carried in their veins.

A clan, to the East, could dream cities out of stone. There were men living by the sea who breathed underwater and spoke riddles with fish. But then there were the ones with the immortal eyes, that sent people plummeting into illusions and played with their minds. Although a simple gift at first glance, its power was unmatched and now they ruled an empire.

The Uchiha had overthrown the republic of Rome with manipulation and magic, earning themselves the largest civilisation in the known world. However, they lusted for more. They had begun their expansion across Europe and Anatolia, but they wanted the Southern Continent just as much.

With its rich spices, gold, and gems, Africa was a much sought over possession.

Unfortunately for the residents of Suna, their town was just a stepping stone for Rome.

Unfortunately for Rome, Sakura wasn't a stepping stone, she was a mountain.

Distantly, Sakura could hear voices. They were faint and disjointed at first, but slowly became stronger as she regained consciousness. She registered the cold metal of shackles surrounding her wrists and ankles, and the jolting movement of an animal. It seemed that she was draped and chained over the neck of a horse.

Did they make it out of Suna safely? No, she thought groggily. If they had, she wouldn't be bound in chains. Sakura blinked tired eyes open and groaned at the sun high in the sky. The light only added to her monumental headache.

"I see you're awake," said a voice to her side. Looking to her left she saw a man riding beside her.

"Who are you? Where am I? What's going on?"

His eyes creased and he let out a chuckle. "You're certainly inquisitive, aren't you? To answer your questions, I am a commander in Rome's army, we are currently on our way back to the capital, and you are a prisoner."

Quickly, Sakura's eyes flew to look at her surroundings and felt her face drain of colour. All around her she could see nothing but the gold and red of the Roman army; she was in the centre of a Roman legion. Sakura turned back to meet the man's eyes once more but flinched violently in the saddle. His eyes now held the same pattern she saw before she collapsed in the town square. He was an Uchiha and she a captive of the Romans. Exactly what she was trying to avoid, what she was trying to protect them from...

"Wait. Where's everyone else? There were innocent people and children in that village, surely you didn't murder them all."

"Now, now don't fret. They're in those carriages behind you."

Sakura twisted against her restraints to look behind her. At the back of the convoy she could barely see several large cages being drawn by groups of horses. What seemed like the entire village, aside from those that she had seen dead, were locked inside. From this far away she couldn't see who were in those carriages and she could only hope that at least her children were inside.

A moment of relief before she remembered the ones that had died, and she swung back around to face the Uchiha soldier. "And what of the others you killed in cold blood? What happened to their bodies?"

The man's cheerful face became sombre. "Unfortunately, quite a few of my men took actions into their own hands and disobeyed my direct orders. The ones that you didn't kill have been executed for treason, and those who died at their hands were respectfully buried."

He rubbed the back of his neck in shame. "The original plan was simply to capture your people, but someone started a fire and it got out of hand. They thought they were doing the Empire a service when they killed those who were too weak to look after themselves, much less help Rome. With such a large loss to our campaign, and Suna no longer a viable supply town, it was necessary to return to Rome and receive further orders before continuing our mission."

"Why am I here, riding with you and not in those cages with my people."

"You should have seen the way 'your people' reacted when you collapsed. I have never seen such despair on so many faces at once. And all for a foreigner; you are certainly no Suna native. I wanted to talk to such an interesting person."

Sakura's face clearly showed confusion and disbelief at his words, but he carried on before she could interrupt. "All those who lived when I arrived are held in those carriages. However, you are a different story. You may have acted in revenge, but you still killed several of my men, so while all the villagers of Suna will be entered into servitude, your fate is still to be decided."

"By whom? Who has the right to make that choice?"

A glance to the north. "The Emperor of course."

NOTES

Anatolia is based on the Greek word _anatolḗ_ which can mean 'the East' and/or 'sunrise.' It was what the peninsula of Asia Minor was called during that time period. Europe and Africa went by these names even 21 hundred years ago. Anatolia and Europe were both part of Rome's expansion, but the Persians (who lived on Anatolia) were a powerful Empire themselves, so Rome was not completely successful in that area. As seen by the Punic Wars, Rome had attempted to conquer Northern parts of Africa while it was still a Republic, but obviously continued as an Empire. The resources I mentioned in Africa, spices, gold, and gems, were highly valued and mostly prevalent to that area, meaning Africa was a highly sought over area.

Rome was also surprisingly accepting of the places they assimilated. The religion, being polytheistic, meant they were understanding of other gods as it was possible that they were gods that the Romans had not yet discovered. The largest example of this is the Greeks. Overall, Rome became extremely diverse due to all the nationalities that became part of the republic/empire. The slaves were still a huge thing, but they weren't treated as bad as other countries and as they could eventually earn freedom, it was a relatively fair system. 


	3. Odyssey

The ride across the continent was difficult, but what Sakura feared more was the sea voyage. She knew what dangers lay in store, especially as prisoners of war. Famine, disease, abuse; their needs simply came after the men of Rome, and given what she had done to their comrades, Sakura was expecting hostility. She just hoped that the kids, if they were still alive, would be treated well, because she could - and would - handle anything they did to her.

When they arrived at the coast, the army was met by warships and sailors who had clearly anticipated their arrival. The ships were fully prepared for departure, and the sailors began to assist the soldiers as they approached the vessels. Sakura watched as supplies, horses, and people were loaded onto the ship, and she followed willingly as she was led onboard.

The other survivors from Suna were taken down to the hold, but Sakura was brought to a solitary cell below deck. It seemed that the Romans weren't going to forget her actions anytime soon. She could hear the commander shouting orders as he marched down the stairs, and as he reached her cage, he paused to greet her.

"Ah yes, my mysterious warrior. What do you think of your accommodations?"

"It could be worse, I suppose." Sakura glanced at the bars surrounding her. "But I understand why I've been confined here."

The man eyed her in contemplation. "I took the liberty of asking your fellow townspeople exactly who you are. I was told you came to the village several years ago, started looking after a few orphans after a fire, however, nobody really knows where you came from." He smiled. "I also found out your name, Sakura."

Sakura lent back against the wooden wall of the ship. "How about you return the favour. What's your name, commander?"

The man acted out a mock salute. "The name's Shisui Uchiha." He winked, "but you can call me Shisui."

The journey to Rome was expected to take about five days, but two days after they had set sail, storms bombarded the fleet of ships. As sailors rushed to secure the vessel, many spoke of curses and bad luck brought upon them from the Gods. Neptune and his fellow sea gods being displeased by the Romans' offerings was frequently mentioned.

Some thought that the women on board from the brief African invasion was what was angering the ocean. Others whispered that Mars thought this attack too brief, that not enough blood was spilt for their Empire, or Jupiter thought the failure at Suna was a tarnish to his name. For whatever reason, the weather continued its destructive force for multiple days, and by the time it stopped, the fleet was much too far west of its destination.

Sakura had heard some of this from talk throughout the crew, but she didn't know the details until they had arrived on Rome's peninsula. The voyage was expected to take five days, but it took well over a week to finally reach Ostia, Rome's famed harbour.

While at sea, Sakura received death threats and promises of pain from soldiers and sailors for their lost comrades as they passed her prison, and her jailor ensured that the bare minimum of comfort was provided. Occasionally, a man would enter her cell, and the 'punishment' varied. Slicing her skin, dislocating fingers, or striking her in anger were the most common, but she remained alive and the damage was minimal. It was much more consideration than she expected from her captors.

Daily, the visitors to her cell decreased, and it seemed more people avoided that section of the ship. Sakura suspected interference from that Uchiha commander; being related to the Emperor of Rome must hold a large degree of influence over the army and his troops.

As she was taken from below deck to disembark, Sakura finally saw her kids in what seemed like months. Temari was leading Gaara onto land as Kankuro carried what little possessions the Roman army had not taken from them. They looked so depressed and tired, and Sakura longed to comfort them. She almost yelled their names, to let them know she was there for them, that she would still protect them.

But what could she do while bound in restraints? With her head bowed down, Sakura let herself once again be chained to a horse as the army began its final leg of the trip towards Rome.

The ride to Rome took a day, but halfway there they were attacked. Sakura had heard reports of the Gauls and their resistance against the Empire's expansion. Despite their country being overrun with Romans, they still fought against their oppressors.

The ambush was quick and effective. With the Romans believing themselves safe so deep into friendly territory, they were completely unprepared and in just a few seconds, a huge fraction of the Roman army had been shot down by the Gauls, and the Romans scrambled to retaliate. Before they could properly counter-attack, the Gauls had run in to completely decimate the outer defence. Panic surrounded the army and the commander was shouting orders to frantic troops.

"Form ranks! I want the 2nd and 3rd cohorts on our left flank. 4th and 5th on our right; 6th, protect our cargo; I want the 7th and 8th on our rear and 9th and 10th at our front. 1st cohort with me! Cavalry surround the enemy, and light troops enforce our flanks. Reserves, wait for further instructions!"

What was left of the fractured legion hurried to obey their commander's orders, but with their numbers so severely depleted, they could barely keep back the assault, and Sakura was left defenceless. As the commander rode past her, she strove to get his attention.

"Hey, Uchiha! Commander! Shisui!"

Hearing his name finally caught his attention and he spared a few precious seconds to ride over to hear her.

"Quick, what do you want."

"I am completely vulnerable here, set me loose to protect my people and you'll have one more fighter on your side."

Shisui opened his mouth to object, but a hesitant glance at their current predicament changed his mind.

"Fine." He reached over to cut her bonds and handed her a sword. "But if you harm any more Romans, or try to escape, I'll execute you myself."

Sakura nodded her consent before she turned around the horse and raced towards the caravans. She barely reached them in time. Shisui's orders may have been to protect the cargo, but the citizens of Suna were clearly the Roman's last priority. The Gauls had broken through the army's defence who had retreated past the caravans, and just as Sakura made it there, Gallic men had just begun to kill indiscriminately. It seemed they held no sympathy for Africans, and they were just one more resource to take from Rome. Swinging her sword, Sakura struck down several of them as she rode past, making sure to stop all of those who were currently endangering her people.

Halting her mount in front of the caravans, Sakura heard people calling out behind her, and she breathed out in relief as she heard Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara shouting her name. Readying her horse, Sakura let out a war cry and felt satisfaction as the enemy faltered in their approach. Whenever a man came too close to the caravans, Sakura ensured their death was swift, tossing the dead men's weapons to the people inside, and with them telling her when a Gaul came too close, it was easier for Sakura to defend.

But she couldn't save them all.

With their seemingly endless numbers, the Gauls were beginning to overwhelm her. Skill could not always save her from being overrun, and Sakura was bleeding heavily from her wounds. Screams of terror alerted her as the Gauls had managed to slaughter half the people in one of the cages while Sakura was trying to fend off attackers near another. She hurried to reach them but could only save those who had not died at the beginning of the assault.

Luckily, the Roman army had beaten back the attackers, and those who remained, retreated at the sight of their defeat. Sakura, however, felt that the loss of life was still too great. Dismounting in front of the caravan, she hurried to check on those still alive.

Sakura began to panic as she discovered it was the one which her kids were confined to and she frantically looked for them in the survivors. To her horror, she found Temari and Gaara crouching over Kankuro's bloody and limp body. She ran over to the door and bashed it open with her sword, before ushering the survivors out into the open. Some dragged bodies; the family and friends they had lost in the attack. Climbing inside, Sakura hurried to Temari's side.

Temari was desperately pressing fabric to Kankuro's stomach wound as he breathed heavily, his eyes glazing over in pain. She glanced at Sakura. "He's still alive, b- but he's losing a lot of blood," she sobbed out. "I- I don't know how t- to stop it. I d- don't think I can help him."

"We'll get him to the army's surgeons," said Sakura as she lifted him into her arms. "They'll help him, they _have_ to."

Weary with fatigue, Sakura slung Kankuro over the saddle of her horse, and began to lead it to the centre of the army. She could see the tents set up for wounded Roman soldiers who were being brought inside for treatment. Behind her, Sakura could hear the Suna survivors as they released each other from the remaining cages and followed her into the quickly assembled Roman camp.

As she drew closer to the tents, Sakura could hear men shouting at her and her people to leave. It was, according to them, not a place for slaves; there were more important people to save. Sakura heaved Kankuro off the horse and staggered inside the one closest to her. She could feel her body shutting down from exhaustion and the wounds she had received.

Inside, the commander was speaking to the men being treated for injuries, and he looked up in surprise at the intrusion. He began to speak, but Sakura quickly interrupted.

"Look, I didn't run away, I protected my friends, and I fought for you. I helped you, and now it's your turn. Help us, all of us." Sakura strode over to the surgeon table and placed Kankuro carefully down on top, before her vision went black and she collapsed to the ground.

Sakura groggily woke up to the sound of people calling her name. Opening her weary eyes, she saw two faces peering down at her from above, and as they came into focus, she let out a gasp.

"Temari! Gaara! You're both alright- wait, where's Kankuro?" she asked frantically. Sakura sat up quickly, wincing as she stretched her wounds. She glanced around the room until her eyes focused on a body lying only a few feet away from her own. Scrambling out of her bed, she hurried to Kankuro's side and carefully drew his sleeping body into a tight embrace.

"You're okay, you're all okay, thank the gods…" Sakura climbed into the bed next to him, and beckoned Gaara and Temari to join them. At the slight commotion, Sakura felt the body at her side stir awake, and Kankuro opened his eyes. "Kankuro, my brave boy, how are you feeling?"

Still pale from blood loss, Kankuro smiled wearily. "Well I'm alive, thanks to you."

"Me?" Sakura sounded incredulous. "You were stabbed because I couldn't protect you! I'm the reason you were hurt, why you're here." Sakura turned her face away in shame.

"No! If you hadn't been with us, I don't think we would have ever survived." said Kankuro as Temari nodded eagerly in agreement. "Without you… we would have died in that fire, and we would have died in that caravan. But you saved us. You're our hero."

Sakura's heart seemed to burst. Despite her failures, they still loved her. She grasped her kids tightly to her chest, crying, as she fell asleep surrounded by her family.

The next time that Sakura awoke, noise surrounded her with the camp bursting with activity. As she carefully maneuvered herself out of bed to not wake the children, a figure entered the tent. Looking up, Sakura saw, to her surprise, the commander beckon her towards him before slipping back outside. Sakura glanced back once more at her kids as they slept and walked after him.

As she exited the tent, Shisui was leaning against it to the side. "I'm glad to see you're okay," he said. "I mean with the amount of blood covering you, I thought for sure that you weren't going to make it. To think you fought of all those men... to say I'm impressed is an understatement.

"I met your kids; they're very protective of you, and I made sure that the boy got the best treatment he could under the circumstances. You have to understand, many of my men were not happy that you and your people were looked after. I did this to repay you, make sure I don't regret my decision."

Sakura just stood there, dumbfounded in the face of the commander's actions. "But make no mistake," he continued. "Just because you helped me does not erase all of your actions. You're still a prisoner, but maybe with what you did for Rome, maybe your sentence will be lighter."

Straightening up abruptly, Shisui walked over to Sakura's side and dangled a set of manacles. He jerked his head to the tents entrance and said, "go say goodbye, it's time to leave, and I do not know the next time you'll see them."

Sakura's eyes widened, and she hurried back inside to rouse the kids. Shaking each one awake, she hugged them all tightly, and expressed her regrets at having to part.

Reluctantly, Sakura left the tent as men came to collect the kids, while Shisui called for her outside. She raised her hands and let him clasp the chains around her wrists. She followed him to the horses and mounted hers without complaint.

The army set off shortly, making quick progress with home just beyond the horizon. Several hours after their departure, cheers thundered through the men as, in front of them, the grand city of Rome come into view.

Notes:

There is a ton for this chapter. Starting with the Romans' relationship with the sea, the earth gods were a lot more important to them than the ocean gods. In a way, they mistreated it as it wasn't a loving relationship and they more took advantage of it for conquest and colonisation rather than being part of their culture. As such, Neptune was a second-class god, and may not have been given proper sacrifices. This was an important part for Romans as a lot of decisions were made after consulting and/or appeasing the gods, and why Neptune and consequently the sea would be displeased. The Romans would have also needed to pay proper tribute to Jupiter and their major war god, Mars; both would have desired success and prestige from the expedition. I haven't managed to find exactly when the superstition of woman being bad luck on ships began but did find an instance of it during the Middle Ages, so assumed it would have been around during Rome.

The distance between Rome and the Northern coast of Africa would have ranged from four days to a week, depending on the placement of the African port. Ostia was Rome's major harbour thought to have been built during 600BC until the Emperor Claudius established the new one, Portus in early AD. The distance between Rome and Ostia is approximately a five-hour walk, but with the added weight of an entire army and not a not fully developed road system, I lengthened the trip to a day. The attack making it about one and a-half.

The Roman Army consisted of Legions. A Legion had 10 cohorts, each 6 centuries, with a century consisting of 80 men. The first cohort was a bit different as it had about 5 centuries with 160 in each century. Along with light troops, reserves, and cavalry, the number of men in one legion was about 5,500. A legion was commanded by a Legion Legate who was usually a senator, but with the death of the Republic, Shisui was a member of the imperial family, and a high-ranking military soldier, so naturally he is in charge.

The Gauls attacked because their country, modern-day France, was taken over by Rome with the help of Julius Caesar. This occurred late in the Republic, during the Gallic wars between 58 and 51BC. Although they would have had to cross over into Italy, 'rebels' would have resisted and planned attacks against Romans whenever they could. It was more a bit of artistic liberty than completely historically accurate.


	4. The Emperor

The Roman soldiers struggled to maintain their discipline, as in front of them waited their home and families. Sakura also waited impatiently in her saddle, shifting anxiously in the face of judgement from the Emperor. The frenzy of activity surrounding her just made her more agitated, until finally, a man came forward to unchain her once more from her horse. Slipping out of the saddle, the soldier instructed her to wait for the commander, and Sakura searched the crowd for the Uchiha. In the sea of people, Sakura finally saw Shisui walking in her direction, talking to another officer.

She shifted her feet in the dust, and glanced side to side at the people around her. What if the Emperor sentenced her to death? Or what of her friends and family? What would they do to her kids? Her mind kept jumping to conclusions and thinking of the worst possibilities. She could only hope that whatever happened, it was quick and with little suffering.

The commander and his officer finished their conversation, and while the other man hurried to comply with his orders, Shisui turned his attention to Sakura. Her panic increased tenfold. This was it; it was time to receive her sentence.

"Ah, Sakura." Shisui said with a smile; it didn't quite reach his eyes. "The Emperor is expecting us. Come with me."

The Emperor sat on his throne and waited for one of his legion commanders. To his knowledge, it had been a short campaign with disappointing results. Most of the company lost in an attack from a group of rebels, minimum expansion across Africa, and a pitiful selection of slaves as compensation. If Shisui could not explain his actions, the consequences would be severe.

Noise outside the throne room alerted him and his men stood at attention, two of whom heaved the doors open at the sound of a knock. Shisui and a couple of his lieutenants entered the hall along with a ragged woman bound in chains. He leaned forward; this peaked his interest. Why bring a woman with him? And one so decrepit at that?

"His Imperial Majesty," announced his court marshal. "Emperor of Rome, and Lord of the known World. Madara Uchiha, the first of his name."

"Your Royal Majesty," said Shisui as he and his companions knelt and bowed their heads. Excluding the woman, of course. The man holding her restraints yanked her down to her knees, and she inclined her head reluctantly. Not a complete fool then. "We have come as commanded and-"

"And I expect justification for your actions." The Emperor's eyes bored into Shisui's. "Explain yourself." His eyes shifted towards the woman. "And explain her. Report, now."

Shisui's gaze flicked nervously between the two of them. "Of course, Your Majesty. When we arrived at Suna, inland Africa, I ordered the town to be searched and the civilians sequestered to the marketplace. Force was to be used if necessary, but undue violence was prohibited. Some of my men believed my orders were not in line with the Empire's interests and began setting fire to the buildings to flush people out. The fire spread uncontained, and as word reached me of my men's actions, I arrived at the marketplace to discover they had already begun to systematically separate and kill the population."

At every word, Madara's expression had steadily transformed from disapproval into a deadly calm facade. "I imagine that, naturally, your first course of action was to deal with the soldiers that you had let out of your control."

Madara did not think that the sweat dripping down from Shisui's temple was part of his imagination.

"Some of the townspeople had retaliated to the actions of my soldiers, and when I reached them, this woman" - Shisui gestured to his side - "had incapacitated or killed many of my insubordinate troops. I detained her before more damage could be wrought, and, once the situation had been contained, I executed those who disobeyed me."

Every man in the room stood in shock, but Madara reclined in his throne, delighting in such a surprising and intriguing outcome.

"What?" Said someone to his right in disbelief. "If that woman did in fact do as you say, you would bring her back here for killing Romans? Your own people?" Murmurs circulated the room, and men began to speak out in anger.

Madara raised his hand.

Instantly, the room fell silent.

"And you're sure it was her."

"Absolutely Your Majesty," replied Shisui.

"Her name?"

"Sakura, Your Majesty."

"Sakura… what? Surely she has a clan name?"

"None that I could determine from her countrymen, Your Majesty."

Madara turned his attention to the woman. "You, what is your name?"

She raised her head. "Sakura, Your Majesty."

Madara sighed in disapproval. "Your family name, peasant."

She looked him, unwavering. "I cannot speak it, Your Majesty."

The Emperor's eyes narrowed, and he hummed. "Not yours to say? I do not know if you are courageous or stupid. But it is unimportant." He returned his scrutiny to Shisui. "Why bring her to me?"

"With the unprovoked attack on her home, I believed her actions to be justified in her people's defence. As such, I did not think that the sentence of slavery or death was mine to pass, especially after her response to the Gallic confrontation."

Madara let out a hollow laugh "Ah yes, the Gauls, how could I forget? Pray tell, how did such a disaster come about?"

Shisui's eyes shifted to the gleaming marble floor. "Yes, Your Majesty. We returned to the coast of Africa and boarded the ships to return to Rome, this time with the remaining captives of Suna. Our path was minorly delayed by storms, and we landed at Ostia. Unfortunately, on our march back to the capital, rebel Gauls initiated a surprise attack and the troops were unprepared for the assault." Shisui gulped nervously. "I did not anticipate it, and due to my negligence, many men were lost in the initial ambush."

"I assume you rectified your mistake."

"Of course, Your Majesty. We quickly assembled our defence and began a counter-attack. The battle was victorious, despite our initial loss, with all rebel forces eliminated."

"And what of her? What does the woman have to do with your… resounding victory?"

"When originally overwhelmed by the Gallic forces, our least priority was the newly acquired slaves. Sakura requested that she be let free to defend the captives, with the agreement that she would neither attempt an escape nor harm anymore of my soldiers. She succeeded in her endeavour, and most of the captives survived the attack. Sakura proceeded to return to custody without argument and remained with us willingly until we returned to Rome."

Madara's eyebrows had almost risen into his hairline by the time Shisui had finished his account. "You not only released her, she was the only reason your positive outcome from Africa made it here safely. Should I reward her for your incompetence?"

"N-no," stammered Shisui. "Not at all Your Majesty. I simply brought forward Sakura's services to the Empire to be considered for her possible punishment."

"Of course, her sentence." Madara leaned on his hand and sighed in contemplation. "I suppose she should be executed for killing my men… and yet, it would be a shame to execute such an intriguing creature. Shisui, how proficient is she in battle?"

"Sakura is quite skilled Your Majesty. She disposed of many of her combatants swiftly and with minimal harm to herself."

"But Your Majesty!" Protested one of his advisors. "She has killed Roman citizens! You can't simply-"

"Can't simply what? Am I not your Emperor? My right to rule is divine, and you question me? No, your punishment is a week in the cells, but as for her" -Madara set his eyes upon the woman- "she will be sent to the arena."

Another round of whispers circulated at the man's imprisonment, but Sakura's fate was even more astonishing, and once again, Madara raised his hand to silence them.

Shisui's surprise was most evident of all. "You wish to make her a gladiator, Your Majesty? A woman has never fought in the stadium before."

"If she dies, well what does it matter? One more peasant dead; hardly a concern. Besides, if what you say is accurate, I have a feeling that she could be quite interesting. Tell the director that I expect him to prepare her accordingly. I want her fighting before the month is ended" Madara smiled cruelly at the woman seemed dumbfounded at her fate unfolding before her. He gestured to Shisui. "Take her to the compound, and make sure she's comfortable. I would hate for Rome's reputable hospitality to be tarnished."

Madara waved Shisui and his officers out of the room and motioned to two guards to take the advisor to the palace dungeons. He then pointedly looked at the other men in the room, who quickly filed out. When the room was finally empty, Madara and his personal guard strode into the hall, the doors slamming shut behind him.

Sakura, to put it plainly, was in shock. The grandeur of the Empire's capital had astounded her at first. The size of the buildings; the number of people filling the streets; the magnificent palace resting on Palatine Hill. Rome was extremely condensed, and all the sounds added together to create a symphony of noise. Never had she seen a city of this size, and every step towards the Emperor's throne room showed her something wondrous, almost distracting her from what lay inside.

Within the palace, high golden walls depicted portraits and art, and expensive pottery and rugs lined the hallways. The lack of people made for a jarring difference compared to the cacophony outside. As Shisui led her through the maze of corridors, they finally arrived at a monstrous pair of doors and, after Shisui knocked, they entered the room.

The Emperor reclined on his throne and Sakura loathed him. For what he had done to her, her family, and her town. The entire time, he spoke as if he were a God, as if he were holier; as if he was worth more than anyone else. He even spoke of her as if she was not there, or perhaps an object to be sold and bartered for. Nevertheless, when she heard that she was to fight in the arena, a rush of feelings assaulted her: relief at not being sentenced to death, anger in being forced to fight, and terror in the face of the unknown.

Now more questions plagued her. Would she be able to survive fighting against seasoned gladiators? What about her kids? Now that they there was no chance that they would all be enslaved together; would she even see them again? Regardless of her internal conflict, she could not voice her concerns to the Emperor. With his demeanour, he would be offended by her, perhaps even making her situation worse than it already was. Instead, she would endeavour to ask Shisui the first chance she could.

So yes, Sakura was in shock. With her fate shifting from the executioner's block to the gladiator ring, she had no control over what would come next. When the Emperor dismissed them from the room, Sakura let the guards yank her outside, lost in her thoughts as she tried to comprehend what had just happened.

As Shisui and his guards made their way through the winding streets of Rome, Sakura finally had the mind to ask him her questions. At all of them, Shisui frowned. He waved his guards to follow behind them for privacy.

"It is not my place to take you from the gladiator ring, so you have only your combat ability and wits to rely on. I'd like to say that you have a fair chance, but I have not seen a gladiator match in quite some time. Who fights, or their skill level, is unknown to me. As for the children, I can make only promises that they will serve in a good home. Unless…" Shisui slowed his walk and glanced at her thoughtfully. "I am sure that my villa is lacking in staff. With my legion in tatters, I will have to rebuild it and may be here for a while."

Sakura's excitement grew at the possibility of safe housing for the kids. "Thank you, Commander. Temari is not a bad cook, and I'm sure Kankuro is proficient enough in most household chores." But then her exhilaration dwindled down. "My only concern is Gaara, he is too young to know any of this."

Shisui shook his head. "Not to worry; I'm sure that with all three together, they will be much more cooperative."

"Thank you," said Sakura. "I hate to ask you for more, but what of my friends from Suna, how will they be treated?"

"I don't think that I can take on anymore servants, least of all the entire group, but I can hope to send them to safe households. From there, I cannot promise much."

Sakura sighed in relief. "It is more than enough, but why do all of this? What do you gain?"

"Because, what happened to you and your people was my fault. I couldn't control my troops, and all the death and destruction that happened in your village was the result. And you, Sakura, you've helped me more than you know." Shisui smiled. "You've gained my respect. I would like to ask you one thing in return."

"Of course," Sakura said in surprise. "For what you've done, anything."

"Then tell me what your clan name is?"

"Ah, I should have expected that. Yet again, I have to say that it is not mine to give.

"Why not?"

"Only once I am worth it, or if there is someone else who knows it, will you hear my family name."

Shisui looked confused. "Worth it? How do you need to be worth it?"

"Exactly that, once I earn it, it is mine. That's all I can tell you."

"I'm surprised that you didn't give a fake name with all the secrecy."

Shaking her head, Sakura said "no. It's that name, or no name. I won't, I _can't_ lie about it."

"I suppose I have to respect your decision, even if I don't understand why. Hopefully that's all you need to say, because our time is almost over." Shisui gestured to his guards again, and they moved back to their original formation. Down the street, the convoy reached a large complex of buildings with a large wall surrounding it and guards posted at the gates. As they reached the entrance, the men noted Shisui's uniform and let them into the compound. A man ran from further in, greeting them and leading them along a path.

Sakura looked around, once again surprised. "Here? But I don't see an arena."

Their guide looked back disapprovingly, at the sound of her speaking out, but Shisui motioned at him to turn back around before answering Sakura.

"You saw the Forum on our way down from Palatine Hill, yes? That's where the gladiators fight, but it's here that you live and train before every match."

"You know a lot for not having watched the gladiators fight in such a long time."

"Yes, but this place and its director was instituted long before I lost interest."

They walked in silence past more buildings, guards, and training yards, until they stopped in front of a structure with more grandeur than the ones around it. The guide entered inside and a couple of minutes later, waved at them to follow him once more. Several rooms beyond the doors sat a man behind his desk.

"Please sit, My Lord," he said as he lifted his eyes from the files lying in front of him. "I believe you have a fighter for me. Is that her behind you?"

Shisui refused the seat and stood in front of the man. "Yes, she was a special request from the Emperor. I hope you treat her well, Danzo."

Notes:

Starting off, the troops would have gathered in the Field of Mars, but this area was converted into part of the city early in the Empire during Augustus's reign (27BC). As such, the troops were in another army area outside Rome.

I made the Emperor's titles Your, His, or the Imperial Majesty. Most Roman Emperors went with their own special title which differentiated them from their predecessors, but Emperors and Monarchs in other parts of the world went by Majesty.

The man who announced titles during Royal functions was the Court Marshal. This was not necessarily a member of the Roman court, but was however, quite common in other countries. Madara's 'divine right to rule' came from Julius Caesar believing one side of his family descended from kings, and the other from Gods, therefore making him more suited to be in charge.

As the Romans were a democratic society with senators with two elected consuls at the top, the wealthy citizens lived in villas, and there was no palace. When Augustus became Emperor, he built the first palace on Palatine Hill (the central of the seven hills of Rome) which was where the term Palace originated.

When most people think of Gladiators, they think of the Colosseum, however it wasn't built until about 80CE, commissioned by Emperor Vespasian but completed by Titus. Before this, there were several other locations a gladiator match would take place, including the Roman Forum. The Roman Forum used to be used for the government or a marketplace, and eventually came to be formed up of many buildings with different functions, such as temples, processions, or official gladiator fights.

As for gladiators themselves, they originated as a one-on-one fight that took place when an important individual died, called munera, sort of in their honour. This gradually grew overtime taking place during ludi (which were generally regular festivals for special occasions - e.g. the harvest festival) until Caesar came into power and held games with 320 gladiator pairs, under the guise that it was a munus for his father, who died about 20 years earlier. It was more like a spectacle rather than a funeral rite. After this, Gladiator games went a little crazy until Augustus got in charge and named it a religious duty, sequestering it to religious festivals, and charging a large amount of money for every munus held. I've sort of made it so Madara rules during the same period as Augustus but decided that the gladiator matches should be a more prominent feature.


	5. Branded

Danzo couldn't quite understand why the Emperor wanted this woman in his arena. Admittedly, she seemed to be healthy despite her rough and dirty appearance, and he wouldn't know her skills until they tried her out on the practice field, but the choice was still… unconventional. Altogether, she didn't look impressive, and a female? There were very few female warriors in Rome's history, and none were gladiators. And she came from a backwater village in the middle of the desert; how talented could she be?

"I see that her name is Sakura. Any clan name?"

Shisui shook his head. "None that she would tell me."

"None that she would tell you?" Danzo laced his fingers underneath his chin. "We do have ways to unearth such information."

"No, His Majesty wants her to fight as soon as possible. Any torture would delay her training."

Danzo sighed in disappointment. "Very well. What is she proficient in?"

"I've seen her use a sword and an axe successfully, but do not know her prowess with other weapons."

"Not to worry, that is something we can test her with later." Danzo glanced at the woman out of the corner of his eye. She seemed to be seething where she stood while they talked as if she weren't even in the room. But she had yet to speak out of turn. Wilful, but not suicidal. If she employed this attitude with the rest of the fighters, she might just survive.

"Well I assume she has yet to be branded, given that you took her straight to His Majesty then here."

"Not yet," answered Shisui. His eyes darted towards the woman. Was he concerned for her safety? That was certainly intriguing.

"Then the first order of business is to do so." A servant stepped forward and Danzo picked up a metal rod, the uchiwa fan crest of the Uchiha family depicted on the end of it. Another with a tray of still hot coals careful made his way to the desk and Danzo placed the brand inside to heat it up. He then pointed to two of his guards.

"Bring her here and ensure she doesn't move." To Sakura he said, "and don't bother struggling, it will only make it worse."

The guards pulled her forward, and although she didn't try to escape their grasp, the fear was evident in her eyes. The tip now hot, Danzo took the branding iron out of the fire as one of the guards placed her left hand down on the table, palm up. He poured a small amount of water over the hand to clean the area and then immediately stamped the brand down. The woman let out a yelp at the instantaneous pain before clenching her teeth and screwing her eyes shut to fight it back.

After placing the iron into the bowl of water, sizzling as it cooled, Danzo whispered to the man who had guided them through the compound, who then hurried out the door. "I have sent for a servant. Moegi will ensure she is healed and made presentable before introducing her to the other gladiators and the training ground." He glanced down at Sakura's hand and the brand now plainly imprinted there. "It always seems to be a personal thing, to sentence someone to slavery. I would hate for you to think you didn't matter."

She glared at him through her pain but didn't retaliate to his jab.

The man returned, this time followed by a girl with bright orange hair. She bowed towards Danzo. "Moegi, take the woman and give her fresh clothes, then present her to the others. You two, go with her." The two guards in front of him hurried to grab Sakura by the arms and drag her to the door. With Moegi, they walked out of the room and out of sight.

Shisui gestured towards the direction the group had walked in. "I don't expect for her to receive special treatment, and she's better off without it, but keep in mind," he said. "She's the Emperor's pet project, and if something avoidable happens to her outside of the gladiatorial fights, I can assure you that he will not be happy."

"Her time here will be as comfortable as I can make it. Are you sure that you don't want to stay, even just a little longer?" Asked Danzo. "I'm sure your cousin would be delighted to see you here." Danzo felt amusement as Shisui stiffened in surprise at his words. "Now now, we all know how close the two of you were, and I'm sure that he'd appreciate the gesture. I can go fetch him now if you'd like?"

Shisui responded with a curt 'no' before bidding goodbye and turning to exit the room. Danzo waved for the guide to deliver the commander back to the front of the compound and to his guards to resume their posts. These people are simply too much fun to play with he thought as he returned to his paperwork. It was a pity they never stayed long enough for him to really enjoy himself.

Sakura stared at the girl walking in front of her. Moegi, was it? She looked to be barely older than Temari. She felt another pang of sadness hit her as she once again considered the fact that she may never even see her kids again. Sakura let out a troubled sigh as she was led towards what seemed to be the centre of the large villa. She should stop thinking of them, lest she let depression surround her and her chances of surviving here.

And that man, Danzo. Another rich, arrogant, entitled patrician who thought the rest of the population beneath him. Despite wanting to yell her frustration, she had managed to keep her mouth shut.

Sakura scowled in anger. She was sick and tired of not being able to speak her mind, and now that she thought about it, the only man who would have let her, was no longer her keeper. Perhaps Shisui was a liberty she was beginning to regret taking for granted. And now, to top it all off, she was branded like an animal. Was she even human anymore?

After several minutes of uncomfortable silence, with the only sound keeping them company their own footsteps, Moegi finally stopped in front of the smaller of two large, similar buildings. She turned to the guards.

"This is the woman's bathhouse, so I'll have to ask you to wait out here."

One of the men smirked slyly at Sakura. "You sure about that? Maybe she wants some more company?"

Moegi stammered at the question, her eyes wide at his audacity.

His companion cuffed him on the back of the head. "Don't be foolish, we will remain here and do our job." To Moegi he said, "call out if you require help." And then to Sakura, "don't try anything stupid."

Moegi nodded furiously before ushering Sakura inside. She followed reluctantly, glaring at the perverse guard as she passed him. She saw him wink at her as Moegi shut the door.

After passing through several entrance rooms, the inside of the building was more than she expected, and it certainly lived up to the repute of Roman baths. Tiles lined every surface and intricate carvings covered the columns surrounding the large pool in the floor. The room was completely devoid of people, but the water was obviously still hot based on the water vapour curling off the surface.

"Please remove your clothes and step into the water," said Moegi. "I'll return in a moment." She walked back towards the entrance.

Sakura thought it interesting that she would be left alone, but she supposed that there was no point in her trying to escape, and if she did, there were guards at the only exit. Well she could only hope to make the best of the situation, and after weeks of traveling, Sakura couldn't remember the last time she was clean. She quickly stripped her clothing and unwrapped her breast bindings, hissing slightly in pain as she brushed her left hand, and after dumping her clothes on the ground, eased herself gently into the bath. The heat was instant relief and Sakura groaned in satisfaction as she felt her muscles relax. She then heard footsteps outside the room, and she tilted her head to see Moegi enter, this time holding a basket atop a pile of fabric.

"Good, I'll wash you and your hair now."

"No. I am perfectly capable of washing myself so-"

"It's my job," interrupted Moegi. "I have to do it, and there's no way for you to convince me otherwise."

"Is there no privacy in this country? And I do not care that this is your job. I refuse to disregard my modesty."

Moegi sighed. "Fine, I will only tend to your hair, but I still have to care for your wounds regardless. That is something you can't avoid."

Sakura nodded her consent and Moegi began to rub oil into her hair while Sakura did the same with her skin. With every second, she could feel the grime peeling off, leaving her skin red and raw, but healthy. The water around Sakura started to darken with the amount of dirt washing off of her, and with a couple of dunks in the water, her hair was also clean.

Moegi gasped in amazement. "Your hair is so pink! I never would have guessed with how dark the dirt made it; I thought for sure it would be red at most."

"Before you ask, yes, it's natural."

Sakura heard a quiet giggle from behind her and couldn't help thinking that although nervous at first, Moegi was a surprisingly sweet and friendly girl. It was a wonder that she was employed as part of the gladiator organisation. A few more minutes of cleaning, and then Moegi asked Sakura to get out and dry off before she inspected her wounds.

At the sight of the scars, old and new, covering Sakura's body, and the injuries she sustained from the recent battles, Moegi was once again in shock.

"How did these happen? There's so many!"

"Past mistakes, and as you can see, most of my scars are healed and besides my hand, there is not much that you can do."

"Yes, but surely a balm to help the rest recover? I insist!"

Sakura moved to refuse but hesitated before she could. It would be foolish to deny help when it was being offered so willingly, despite her pride. And if she healed faster because of it, then why not?

"I'll accept that much."

Moegi smiled happily and took a pot out of her basket. She swiped a few fingers in the salve and began applying it to the injuries littered across Sakura's body, paying special attention to her hand. "This should help clot the blood and encourage the skin to heal. The herbs inside should also fight off infection and stop inflammation."

After the balm, Moegi rewrapped Sakura with bandages and handed her new clothes. Altogether she was rather efficient with her work, and Sakura was impressed with the level of skill used to fix her up. She put on the clothes, a fitting pair of trousers and a tunic that contrasted greatly with Moegi's own long robe, but it made sense considering how different their roles were. When done, Moegi once again ushered her outside the room.

"Now that you're cleaned up, the director wants you to meet the other gladiators. You'll be training and fighting with them, so it's better this happens sooner rather than later." Moegi gave her a shaky smile. "Hopefully, you'll make a good impression. These are some of the strongest fighters in Rome, and they might not take kindly to any show of weakness. That's the best advice I can give you."

"Thank you, for the advice and the healing."

When they emerged from the building the guard's eyes widened. "Wow, you clean up real nice, don't you? It's a pity that you're meant for the arena, I wouldn't mind taking you home with me."

Sakura couldn't decide whether the comment was amusing or insulting, but before she could do anything, his partner once again smacked him on the back of the head.

"Stop this, we don't have time for your foolishness."

"Aw, lighten up Raido. It's just a little bit of harmless teasing." He shoved Raido with his shoulder, who glared at him in disapproval.

"Harmless or not, Genma, this is not how soldiers of Rome should behave, especially while on duty."

"Like you're always this uptight."

Raido scoffed before turning towards Moegi. "Where are we to escort her now?"

"I have been instructed to send her to meet the other gladiators in the dining hall with you two while I prepare her quarters. The director believes she will… fit in the most with the members of the seventh section."

Genma let out a bark of laughter. "The seventh? Well that should prove to be entertaining. Let's go met your new cellmates, shall we?"

Moegi left the guards and Sakura on the path to the dining hall, and the three of them had finally arrived at what must be one of the largest buildings in the area, and one of the noisiest. It seemed to be a hundred metres long and a quarter of that wide.

"If your fellow gladiators force you to, we'll allow a few hits here and there, given you can take them." Genma stopped them just outside the building. "And there's something that we should tell you about your cellmates. Most of our skilled gladiators are volunteers from Rome's army who want to gain glory, prestige, and wealth, but section seven are made up of some of our most skilled prisoners; unwilling slaves like you. They're treated with less respect than the volunteers, and that makes them just a little more dangerous."

Raido snorted. "A little? That's an understatement. Unless you prove yourself, these men will chew you up and spit you out. I have a feeling the director put you in their sector because they're oddities. Made up from different countries with different skills. Just like you."

"Whatever his reasons, you've got to deal with it now." Genma pushed Sakura past the platoon of guards and inside the building. Hundreds of long tables held what seemed to be almost two thousand men, and tens of guards lined the hall, standing at attention while the gladiators ate what must be their evening meal. Several men looked up in surprise at the intrusion and, within a few seconds, those nearest to them had turned their attention from their food to Sakura, muttering silently among themselves. Raido led her down the rows of tables, Genma behind her, and the silence followed them as they walked through the hall. By the time they reached the back of the large room, almost the entire hall's attention was focused on them.

Sitting in front of them was an isolated group of eight men with varying appearances, staring at Sakura and her guards. Except for one who was still talking, but as soon as he realised no one was paying attention, the man followed his companion's gazes and bored his eyes into Sakura's.

"Who the fuck is this bitch?"

There was no sound as everyone held their breath, waiting to hear Raido's answer.

"She's a new gladiator. She'll be training with you."

The hall exploded with noise.

Notes:

I wonder who _that_ could be.

So yeah, branding was a huge thing in Ancient Rome. If a slave ran away, they would be branded with FGV which stood for fugitivus (fugitive) when they were captured. Gladiators were originally branded on the forehead, but Constantine changed this around 300 AD as he didn't want the face to be disfigured, and instead the brand was placed on the hand, calf, or arm. I've brought this into this au despite the difference in time-period.

Bathing was also a major activity. It happened daily and was usually communal, separate for sexes and mixed bathing become popular during the first century AD. The men's bath was usually larger, which fits in with most of the population in the gladiator school being male. Slaves or servants usually washed the patrons with scented oils, which was why Moegi was so insistent on doing her job.

Speaking of schools, the largest state owned one of four in Rome, Ludus Magnus held approximately 2,000 gladiators by mid-1st century AD. It was the one I decided to base the numbers on. By the late Republic, half the gladiators were volunteers, and they were usually the most skilled compared to the condemned prisoners. Being a successful gladiator paid a lot and deaths were not usually as frequent as media claims due to how expensive a gladiator's upkeep was, but if you don't think this fic is conforming to that media you are in completely the wrong place. Female gladiators appeared as a rare and exotic group of fighters around 60 AD, and as such, Sakura was indeed a novel idea for the arena. Despite being slaves, the gladiators were extremely well cared for, with an extremely healthy diet and high-end medical treatment for the rigorous training regimen due to how expensive they were. This is why Sakura got such good treatment.

Inside the school, the gladiators were grouped together in barracks around training yards that could house anywhere between 15-20, and then 100 people during later designs, where they lived in separate cells. They were ranked together usually by status and/or specific ability, and as such a social hierarchy was just as important in the school as outside in the Roman population. If you were a volunteer from an important Roman family, you were usually at the top of the pecking order. There was also a huge rivalry between the two main types of gladiators who fought against each other in the arena: heavy hitters with heavy armour, Secutarii, and light, fast fighters, like the Thraex.


	6. Respect

On the outside, Sakura was the image of calm and composed, but on the inside anger and rage boiled beneath her skin. All around her, men shouted their disapproval at a woman fighting in the arena. About her being too weak, and the idea too disrespectful to the gods. She would be an embarrassment to Rome and the other gladiators. Several had risen from their tables, but guards quickly began to control the unrest surrounding them.

"Are you shitting me? There's no way that you're serious. As if a skinny little girl like that could possibly fight here." The man who had crudely called her a bitch began to stand while laughing at the hilarity of the idea. "She wouldn't last a minute in a fight, unless she was running away."

The man sitting next to him, with what Sakura thought must be blue skin, yanked him back down into his seat. "Down, Hidan." He looked at Raido. "This isn't a mix-up or anything, is it? A woman fighting in the arena is certainly unusual." He gave Sakura a toothy grin and a quick wink. "Not that I'm complaining; I'm sure that she'll make things a lot more interesting."

Sakura noticed in surprise that each tooth had been filed down to a sharp point. He must be from Kiri.

Raido pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers and sighed deeply. "Sakura is a special request from His Majesty. The director believed her to be most suited with your section, Kisame, due to her non-Roman nationality and fighting capability.

"Fighting ability?" Sneered Hidan. "You're definitely fucking with me."

Genma shook his head. "No, no, I was told she defeated all her opponents, Romans and Gauls alike, except when faced with the sharingan."

Although Kisame and several of the other men looked mildly doubtful of Sakura's apparent achievements, they weren't in complete disbelief. However, another man at the table snorted in disbelief.

"As if," he said, flicking aside the length of blond hair that blocked half his face. "You can't convince me of that bullshit, yeah."

Genma laughed. "And what would change your mind, Deidara?"

Sakura spoke up. "How about a fight?" It wasn't a great decision, but of what she knew of these men it might be the smartest. She had been exhausted since leaving Suna and her palm still ached from being branded, but she knew she had to prove her strength. If she didn't issue this challenge and prove herself to these men, she would never be accepted.

Sakura glanced at the men around the table. Hidan and Deidara both smirked, as if she'd fallen into a trap that she couldn't yet see, although Kisame looked excited. The other men - and a boy, she had to contain her surprise - at the table spared her a few curious glances, but the man sitting next to Kisame caught her attention as his head turned to face Sakura. He couldn't possibly be blind yet cloth covered his eyes. Their reactions made her wary, but she was confident that a challenge was the right way to prove her worth.

"Who will be my opponent?"

Hidan slammed his palm onto the table. "I'll fucking smash the bitch. This won't even be a challenge."

"Fine," said Genma. "When you return to your barracks after your meal, the match will begin."

Turning around, Genma, Raido, and Sakura made their way out of the hall, the eyes of two thousand men following them as they left.

Walking away from the building, Genma led them away from the communal areas and towards the barracks. He tossed her a bread roll he must have snatched from the hall and she chewed on it hungrily, grateful for the chance to fill the gnawing pit in her stomach.

"You're lucky that you're fighting Hidan, no matter what your strength," said Raido. "His anger makes him predictable and the less dangerous of them all. If you had to fight Kisame or Zabuza… well your chances would have been slim."

"Zabuza? Which man was he?"

"He doesn't speak much. He was sitting with the boy, Haku; they, the both of them and Kisame, are from Kiri."

"The Bloody Mist? I would not be surprised if they're as good as you say they are. Anyone else I should be wary of?"

"Kakuzu, the other man wearing a mask, can be dangerous. Sasori, the red-head, and Deidara are not quite as much trouble, but can pose a threat. And then there's Itachi, he's possibly the strongest of them all."

Sakura's mind ran through all the men who were sitting at the table, but there was only one who had yet to be mentioned. "Unless he wasn't there… Itachi must be the one with the sash around his eyes?"

"Yeah, that's him. He's blind."

"Blind!" Sakura said, shocked. "How is that possible?"

Genma looked back at them over his shoulder. "Now, now Sakura, you should know better than to judge by appearances."

Sakura blushed briefly in embarrassment. "There is a large difference between being a woman and having a disability, but I understand your point. Still… how can this be?"

"It was actually quite the scandal," explained Raido. "Itachi was one of His Majesty's strongest commanders, some even thought that he would be the heir to the throne."

"He's an Uchiha?"

"Yes, but he strongly disagreed with His Majesty's methods and wasn't afraid to voice his opinions. His Majesty was displeased to lose such a proficient fighter, however he had to remove a possible threat, so Itachi was blinded and thrown into the colosseum."

"That doesn't explain how he's the strongest."

"Well, everyone says that the Uchihas are blessed by the Gods, but Itachi was even more so. Since he was young, his sharingan was especially powerful, and when Madara took his eyes, it seemed as if Itachi retained his sight. It might only be heightened senses, but Itachi is just as skilled as he was before his eyes were taken, perhaps more."

Sakura hummed thoughtfully, her eyes trained on the ground in front of her. She knew that magic was real; the sharingan eyes were enough proof of that, but a blind man who could fight as if he could see? That was almost too much for her to believe. She had never thought that gods themselves had existed - they certainly hadn't helped her out in life - but this Uchiha and his abilities certainly made Sakura question her ideology. She shook her head. She could not take Raido's words at face value. Only seeing Itachi fight in person would convince her.

As Sakura pondered the existence of greater beings, Genma stopped them in front of a set of barracks, the ring of buildings surrounding a training field. Sakura raised her head to look at the area, immediately noticing the barred windows and heavily reinforced doors on every room. They clearly didn't want to take chances with the gladiators escaping.

Genma ushered her forward, past some of the cells to one with the door wide open and sound emanating from inside. As they reached the threshold, Moegi peered outside.

"Good, I've finished clearing out the room. Has Sakura met the rest of the gladiators in Barrack Seven?"

Genma lent against the stonework of the building. "Yep, and it went so well that in about a half hour, she's fighting Hidan."

Moegi's eyes widened in shock. "But… how? Why? She isn't even fully healed yet. You'll have to call it off!"

Genma waved his hand lazily at her. "C'mon, you know Hidan. He's volatile enough to challenge His Majesty if they ever came face to face. He's also too crazy to win, which is exactly why my money's on Sakura here. She seems like she's intelligent enough to make the right decisions, and if she fended off those barbarians and our own soldiers, I'm sure she'll be able to hold her own."

"But-"

"No," Sakura interrupted. "I know these men value strength. If I back out of this fight, I will gain no respect from them."

"See? Told you she was smart."

"Her wounds aren't properly healed yet! She will be at a huge disadvantage, especially with her hand being so recently branded."

"I've fought in worse conditions." Sakura looked down at her left hand and flexed it, testing the pain. She looked back up at Moegi. "And I've always prevailed."

Moegi started to fit armour around Sakura who, when prompted, asked for the light armour of a Thraex. She was fitted with fasica and greaves for her legs, a manica on her right arm, leather wrappings for her chest as there were no cuirass for women, and a simple cassius for her head. Although this was supposed to just be a practice fight, Sakura held no doubts that Hidan would kill, or at least maim, if given the chance. The armour was necessary.

"Do you know Hidan's fighting style?" Asked Moegi as she strapped on the armour.

"I know he does not think out his actions and usually fights with emotion and anger, that much was clear during our first meeting. But other than that, I know as much about him as he does me."

Moegi paused midway in wrapping her chest. "Did they not tell you of his magic?"

"Magic?"

"Yes, the god that he worships, Jashin, grants him a level of immortality and blood magic."

"I thought that those who worshipped Jashin were a pagan cult with no powers?" 

"If that is so, then Hidan must be an exception. A priest who was actually blessed by his god. His matches in the arena are some of the bloodiest, especially when he sacrifices another gladiator."

"You mentioned blood magic. What power does he have?"

"If he obtains some of his opponent's blood, his ritual connects their bodies. Any harm that comes to him is wrought upon his adversary, but with his immortality, he can kill without dying himself."

Sakura had battled many men before, but they were all mortal. If Hidan's magic was really this powerful, then his fighting ability might not be the most worrisome aspect of the challenge. "What weapon does he use?"

Moegi had resumed her wrapping, her job almost done. "He prefers his scythe. It gives him good reach in a close combat fight, and he's just as well versed in it as most gladiators are with the sword. One of his greatest advantages is having so much practice fighting against swords, while most have never faced the scythe."

"Then I will even out the match." Sakura stood, shifting her body in the armour as she grew accustomed to its constraints. Outside, she could hear the sound of a large group of men approaching. Tucking her helmet under her arm, she strode out the door; the fight would soon begin.

In a bare few minutes, gladiators had lined the edge of the training ground, standing in the shade of the barracks with even more spilling onto the dirt itself. In the centre, Sakura could see Hidan rallying up the crowd, revelling in them cheering his name. He wore a simple linen tunic with no armour covering any part of his body. As he faced Sakura's direction, he began to jeer at her, most of the gladiators joining in.

"So you need to wear all that armour, don't think you can take me on without protection? You're probably going to hide behind a fucking shield the entire fight, aren't you? Until I chop your fucking head off."

Sakura looked him the eyes before turning her head to the side, dismissing him entirely. His rants only became more enraged. Exactly what she expected.

Raido had followed Sakura from the barracks and held up a hand to silence Hidan's tirade.

"If you both still agree to the fight, we'll continue. Bring out the weapons."

A couple of the many guards watching pushed over a trolley full of weapons and a rack of shields. They ranged from simple gladius swords to tridents, nets, whips, spears, and bows, among more. Sakura could clearly see a scythe blade sticking out of the pile, and to her relief, the weapons she wanted as well.

"Hidan, I assume you want the scythe?"

"Don't ask such goddamn stupid questions, of course I want the fucking scythe."

One of the guards picked up the large, triple-bladed weapon before giving it to Hidan. He swung it around a few times to test the weight, and when offered a shield refused it.

"Oi, don't forget the fucking spike." Hidan gestured to the guard who picked a small spear out of the pile and handed it over. "Hell yeah," he said, tucking it into his belt.

Raido then addressed Sakura. "Sakura, what weapon do you choose."

She turned to look over the weapons once more. Yes, she knew exactly what she'd fight with.

"I'll take the gladius graecus."

"And for your shie-"

"I'll also take the battle-axe. No shield will be required."

The crowd of men were first silent at her words before jeering even louder, Hidan at the forefront.

"You think picking a heavy hitting weapon will fucking help you? You're a fucking idiot for passing up the shield; you're gonna need all the fucking protection you can get to get out of this goddamn fight alive."

Even Raido chimed in. "Are you certain about this Sakura? I know you think yourself strong, but this is a highly skilled opponent you're facing. This is no time for taking risks."

"No, Raido. I know my strengths and my limits. Give me the weapons and we'll begin the fight."

Sakura placed the helmet atop her head before taking her weapons and settling into a defensive stance facing Hidan. Never taking her eyes off her opponent, she heard the guards take the rack of weapons away and Raido step away from the combatants. Raido yelled for the match to begin - it would be victory by forfeit or death - and surging forward with the roar of the crowd, Hidan swung his scythe.

Sakura knew exactly how to handle this situation. Play defensively at first to make him underestimate her more, if that was possible, and understand his attack pattern. Obviously, her main objective was to avoid losing blood at all costs. She could, however, attack as violently as she wished if he was indeed immortal. Even if he couldn't die, surely losing his limbs would render him immobile. Goading Hidan to attack recklessly would also play to her favour, and she currently knew more about his fighting style than he did about hers. As long as she played this calmly and carefully, victory would be hers.

She swiftly moved out of the way of Hidan's strike, raising her axe to deflect the blow and let Hidan's momentum toss him forward. He immediately used the reach of his weapon by spinning, perhaps intending to catch her off-guard. By this time, Sakura had already stepped out of his range, but she was caught by surprise when his scythe lengthened; a chain was attached the end of the handle and Sakura barely dropped under the blades in time.

Quickly, she rolled to her side, just before the scythe pierced the ground where she had fallen. She windmilled her legs, using the momentum to regain her footing and formed a crossguard against Hidan's next attack, stepping closer to avoid the blades.

This man was either much more intelligent and collected than people gave him credit, or his instincts were what kept him strong. Sakura eyed his maniacal expression, his teeth bared in a crazed smile. Nope, definitely a psycho.

Sakura tore her arms apart from each other, almost yanking the scythe out of his hands. Just as fast, Hidan twisted to the side and brought his scythe towards himself, bringing her axe with it as the blades locked. Sakura followed suit, rotating to break contact and backing away from the attack, more wary of Hidan's skill.

He attacked furiously once more, this time she simply pivoted on her foot, blocking the blow with her manica; metal scraped against metal, and Sakura barely kept from staggering under the weight of the impact.

The fight continued with a similar pattern: Hidan attacking aggressively while Sakura stayed on the defense. She could see that as time went on, Hidan was becoming more irritated, and so was the crowd. Calls came from their audience for Hidan to hurry up and stop messing around, to strike a fatal wound. Perhaps the crowd egging him on, telling him to do better, was adding to Hidan's frustration.

"Either stay still you bitch or fucking attack already!"

Sakura stayed to her rhythm, conserving her energy compared to Hidan's over enthusiastic actions. Eventually, she slowly began to go on the offense, careful strikes whenever Hidan overextended his attacks. As she became more daring, Hidan seemed more excited. His feral grin growing and his energy renewed.

"That's more like it! Finally, a good fucking challenge!"

She used her axe multiple times as both a shield and a weapon, using the heavy mass to unbalance Hidan's attacks and the curved blade to deflect his strikes. It was clear that just as she wasn't used to fighting against a scythe in combat, Hidan was similarly disadvantaged against the battle-axe. Sakura slowly began to press her advantage now that Hidan was more crazed at his inability to land an attack, and as he moved she flew forward to pierce his throat.

It was a mistake.

As the point of her gladius reached towards him, Hidan executed an excellent block and counter-attack with the staff of his scythe. The timing was perfect and it was almost as if he had expected it. Sakura hurried to regain her balance as he swiftly stopped her attack, but as she did, Hidan's scythe came rushing towards her. Despite her best efforts, the blades nicked her arm. It would usually be nowhere near a fatal wound, but in this fight, it was damning.

Sakura rolled in the dust, her thoughts screaming. How could she make such a novice mistake? She got cocky and it could cost her both this fight and her life. As she rose to her feet, she saw Hidan beginning his ritual on the other side of the field; she had to reach him before he could complete it.

Hidan had already stabbed his side, the blood that had poured to the ground used to draw a circle surrounding him with his foot. He had finished drawing the three lines forming the triangle inside the circle by the time she had made it halfway towards him. Hidan's skin turned black and white and Sakura felt her blood run cold. Just as she was a few meters from the circle, Hidan grabbed the spike from his belt and thrust it into his thigh.

Sakura collapsed to the ground. She could hear Hidan gloating his victory and praising his god past the rush in her ears. But she couldn't stop, not when she was so close. As she struggled to her feet despite her throbbing leg and her weapons gripped tightly in her hands, Hidan drew the spike up, aiming for his chest.

"Yield, Sakura! Before he kills you!"

Sakura heard the shout from Genma, but she wouldn't, _couldn't_ surrender. She had to win this fight or die trying. Sakura began to run forwards once more and as Hidan brought the spike towards his chest, Sakura threw her battle-axe. It pierced the circle, cracking the ground and destroying the connection. Hidan's spear had only managed to hurt himself as his black and white appearance retreated back into his skin. As she reached him, Sakura relished the panicked look in his eyes, as with one final sweep of her gladius, she sheared off his head.

Hidan's body toppled over beside her as Sakura fell to her knees, panting in exhaustion. Sakura could hear the muttering of the crowd around her that slowly transformed into reluctant applause, but none of it compared to the relief she felt at her strategy working. If breaking the curse by destroying the circle had not worked, she would probably be dead right now. Perhaps it was foolish to not surrender, but despite the risk, she was glad that she did not. Today was her victory.

Sakura was drawn from her thoughts as a voice sounded from beside her.

"For fucks sake you bitch, you've ruined my ritual to Jashin. Now it's all gone to shit."

Sakura slowly turned her head in wonder and saw Hidan's decapitated head spouting curses from beside her. She knew that he was immortal, but a talking head was still a bizarre sight. Slowly, Sakura stood up and walked over to the head. Gently, she poked it with her foot, jumping slightly as it writhed on the ground and Hidan's voice grew louder.

"Don't fucking kick me you goddamn bitch! Fuck off you cunt!"

Sakura sneered at his coarse language, before picking the head up by the hair, avoiding the snapping teeth. She turned it to face her and let her frustration out.

"Why don't you shut up for once you stupid, fucking bastard. You've lost this fight, and maybe if your head wasn't shoved up your ass, I wouldn't feel the need to shove it up further!"

Hidan's face slackened for a second but then another deranged smile crept onto his face. "If you don't want to be a great sacrifice to Jashin, how about we get fucking busy. I wouldn't mind fucking a feisty little bitch like you."

Sakura's lips curled back in disgust and she dropped the head back to the ground as Hidan began shouting expletives once more. She turned on her heel and limped towards the edge of the circle, a few men congratulating her while others still seemed too proud to do so. No matter; she had proved her ability and if they refused to accept it then there was nothing more she could do about it, except beat-up a few more of them.

As she reached the rest of the barrack's men near the entrance to her cell, Kisame pushed his way in front of her, intimidating everyone else to move to the side. "Good job, Sakura!" He slammed his hand against her back. "Welcome to the gladiator ring."

Notes:

So most of the historical things in this chapter concern the different types of gladiators and their armour and weapons.

A female gladiator is called a Gladiatrix, Sakura would be the first of this kind. She also represents the Dimachaerus class which consists of dual-wielding fighters as opposed to a sword and a shield. By using the gladius graecus, a Greek sword as opposed to the regular roman gladius (sword), Sakura represents the Hoplomachus, fighters who are either Greek or use their weapons. Thraex is mentioned as they are a lightly armoured style of gladiators who prioritise speed and attack over defence. Usually, they're short-ranged fighters.

Now onto the armour! Manica were wrappings of leather and cloth for padding for the arm, but I decided to add a little bit of metal for extra protection. The fasica are like the manica - padding for underneath the greaves, which are metal armour for the legs, specifically the shins. The cuirass is a metal breastplate (it made sense to me that they wouldn't have one fitted for a woman), and a cassius is the name for a generic metal helmet.

I'm pretty sure that's everything for this chapter. I liked writing the fight scene. Did you like reading it?

Bye


	7. Bread and Circuses

Shikamaru sighed in boredom and disappointment as his friend cheered along with the roaring crowd. Down below, two minor gladiators started off the show. They had skill, all of the fighters did, but they didn't have any talent. There was no strategy, just the equivalent of two boys whacking sticks together, except these sticks were pointed and busy causing significant injury. Not so deep down, Shikamaru knew that he enjoyed the fights, especially if there was strategy. It was fun to predict the outcome and thrilling if he was wrong.

Shikamaru also knew that it was all a distraction; a way to appease the crowds and draw their attention away from the crumbling social and economic structure that the Emperor had built. He had thought about talking to his friends about it but had stopped himself before he could. It was slightly treasonous, and he was intelligent enough not to take the risk and, if he was being honest, they would probably disagree with him as most families in Rome were brainwashed to agree with The Emperor's ideals.

Ino hadn't shown up today which was odd for her blatant love of violence, and Choji, Shino, and Hinata had joined their families in their boxes. Considering their status, it was a wonder that they ever joined Shikamaru in the stands. Yes, all of Shikamaru's friends were clan children, but the Akimichi, Aburame, and Hyuuga were noble clans and they didn't, under principle, frequently consort with the lesser patricians. It was only the clan names that kept their parents from driving them apart. Shikamaru turned to look at the noble clans' boxes. If he squinted just right, he could see Hinata next to her cousin and her sister, her father behind them.

Next to the Hyuuga box, the Akimichi and Aburame flanked it either side. Shino sat stoically next to his father while Shikamaru could see Choji laughing with his parents. Out of the bunch, the Akimichi were the least stuck up. Above them, the Emperor's throne was surrounded by Uchihas. As the opening match staggered to an end, his _esteemed holiness_ entered the box and reclined on the throne. Ah, so that was why the royal families kept their children close. They wanted to please the Emperor.

The announcer boomed from his place in the stand, his voice magnified to be heard over the crowd. "All rise for His Imperial Majesty, Emperor of Rome, and Lord of the known World: Madara Uchiha, the first of his name." The people in the stands rose to their feet and roared their approval. Shikamaru did the same but with much less enthusiasm; it was best to keep up appearances.

It wasn't unheard of for the Emperor to visit the arena and its gladiators, in fact he came quite often, but not to a small-scale event such as this. The roster did not hold much appeal with none of the heavy-hitters present, only fodder until the main event later in the afternoon. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. Either it was a random appearance - unlikely - or there was an announcement to come, one important or personal enough for him to appear in public himself rather than simply send out a missive.

"People of Rome." The Emperor's voice echoed throughout the stadium. "I have grand news for the arena. Soon we will house another champion, the likes of which has never been seen in a gladiator fight before. Next week, the tournament will host Rome's first gladiatrix, a female gladiator!"

Once again, noise exploded from the spectators, but this time confusion and disapproval dominated the applause. Shikamaru could hear people talking around him about how a female gladiator in the arena was a disgrace to the sport, that a woman wouldn't last long in such a violent environment.

But between the outrage, Shikamaru could hear whispers of intrigue. He did have to agree, it was a new element - and therefore more interesting - but it could also be unpredictable. For this idea to succeed… this gladiatrix would not only have to defeat her competitors, but also make a spectacle, otherwise she would never be recognised.

And if she did fail, it certainly wouldn't make the Emperor any more popular.

Beside him, Kiba nudged him in the ribs. "A chick, huh? Well I can't wait to tell Ino, I'm sure she'll be a fan."

Shikamaru nodded in agreement and threw a quick glance up at the royal families. "Ino might be a fan, but I can't say the same for the Hyuugas."

Hiashi Hyuuga, Hinata's father, wasn't sneering, but he certainly looked displeased. Hinata was sharing excited words with her sister, but one look from her father sealed their lips. The Hyuuga had a history of misogyny, and it was delightfully ironic that both the heirs were female, but clearly that wasn't enough to convince Hiashi on how proficient a woman would be in the arena.

"Yeah, but they're stuck up," said Kiba. "Besides, Choji, Shino, and their families seem plenty excited." Or as excited as the Aburame could get considering their covered faces, but the Akimichi family were just as enthusiastic about the news as they were about everything else.

Shikamaru nudged him back. "And we don't even have to wait until next week to know more."

Kiba grinned. "We just have to ask Lee and Tenten."

Sakura did not sleep well that night. A hay mattress on a stone slab might not be the most uncomfortable surface, but it was every noise that startled her awake, and each shadow that passed between her cell bars that sent her heart racing. She may have won the fight, but it was clear that some gladiators were more… vexed by her than impressed, and she couldn't rule out Hidan. If he decided to take revenge, then being in the same barracks wouldn't exactly be in her favour. Secure walls and doors lay between them, but Sakura had lived through enough to know those wouldn't stop revenge.

Her injuries didn't help either. Between those still healing since the attack on Suna, the brand smarting on her hand, and the stab wound in her leg, every movement was wrought with pain. Yes, Moegi had once again bandaged her up, but that wasn't enough to dull the… _discomfort_ of being impaled.

She was happy to have missed dinner. She was too tired to deal with the other gladiators and the meal she had with Moegi was sufficient enough, but would they see this as a sign of weakness?

Yet, there was nothing to be afraid of. No spectre came in the night to assassinate her and the most she heard of other people were the midnight murmurings of her cell-mates. When morning drew close and the witching hour had long since passed, Sakura finally closed her eyes and stole a little sleep before a bell clanged throughout the compound. A guard strolled into the barracks, rapping on the cell doors, others following him in.

"Rise and shine. You don't get paid to laze around in bed all day."

Wincing slightly as she rose from her bed, Sakura quickly pulled on a clean tunic and her sandals. She stood near the door and stretched her joints before the guard came into view.

"Out you get," he said, opening the door. Sakura walked out to join the other gladiators who had been released from their cells. Her leg still throbbed in pain, but she wouldn't give anyone the satisfaction of seeing her limp.

She passed Itachi and Kisame, eyeing the blindfolded Uchiha. Sakura still couldn't quite comprehend how he could be such a dangerous opponent, but even as the thought crossed her mind, Itachi's face turned in her direction. Sakura felt a chill crawl up her spine and quickly looked the other way; it was almost as if he knew exactly where her eyes were.

The other two gladiators from Kiri stood silently near Kisame, and Sakura joined them with the other guards. Kisame gave her a wide, toothy grin, but otherwise she was completely ignored. Fair enough. She could understand wanting to keep to yourself.

Kakuzu followed her as he was let out of his cell, but the calm morning was disturbed as Hidan joined them.

"God fucking dammit. My neck hurt like a bitch last night and now I get this shit ass wake up call. What a great start to a great fucking day!"

"Shut up, Hidan. Nobody wants to listen to your whining," Kakuzu growled.

"Fuck you, Kaku-fucker. You're not my fucking boss. And you!" At this Hidan turned towards Sakura and she tensed at his tone. Another fight was not what she was looking forward to towards before breakfast.

"You've got some big ass balls if you think I've forgotten about yesterday. And," at this Hidan's gaze turned less vengeful and more sleazy. "If you wanna go again, I'm not saying no, but the outcome is gonna be a _lot_ different."

Was he serious? Sakura still couldn't comprehend how he could still be so horny, especially after she cut off his actual gods-damned _head_.

Sure, there were some in the world who took pleasure from pain, but there was a difference between a sharp, searing tug of the hair and decapitation. And although it was rare to see a man understanding of a loss handed to him by a woman, this wasn't exactly the outcome she had anticipated.

"Yeah?" Said the guard. "Well I think it's time for you to shut your traps and head off to breakfast. And if you don't, then it's only fair for you to go hungry. That clear?"

Hidan grumbled in discontent but it was obvious that he knew when to shut up when it counted.

Finally, Deidara and Sasori joined them, arguing quietly amongst themselves, and the guards escorted them towards the dining hall.

The hall was mostly empty when they arrived, only a few other barracks had woken up earlier and although she drew a few stares, Sakura was ignored in favour of enjoying breakfast. Perhaps her addition was not as much of an upset as she had previously thought?

She joined the rest of her barrack at their table, sitting as far away as possible from Hidan who took the opportunity of their guards leaving to once again run his mouth.

Sakura listened half-heartedly as he droned on and on about how unfair life was before she tuned out completely. Slowly chewing her breakfast, Sakura could hear more men enter the hall; gladiators claiming tables and guards taking their places along the wall, light murmuring following them.

She tensed a little every time someone walked behind her but slowly began to relax. That was until a group of men talking loudly at another table got up and strode towards her. Or to be more precise, Hidan.

"Well Hidan, who knew you're such a shitty fighter. I mean I knew you were bad, but not enough to get absolutely fucked up by a girl."

Slowly, the entire table turned to face the speaker.

Two men now stood in front of the table, followed by others behind them. They were similar enough in features that they were most likely brothers. Both with wild black hair, sharp eyes, and strange masks covering their mouths.

"Or was it all a show to get Pinky here a bit of a rep. What'd she pay you for it? Something worthwhile I hope."

Sakura grimaced. As if the innuendo was bad enough, he couldn't even think of an original nickname. From the corner of her eye she could see Hidan's face as a grin started to stretch across it. Ah, this might not end peacefully.

"Now, now," said Kisame. "You don't have to start a fight, Meizu. In fact, why don't you and your brother just turn around and finish breakfast."

Hidan stood up. "Oh no no no, if they wanna fight, I'm more than happy to give it to them. Let's see if the so-called 'Demon Brothers' hold up to their name."

Meizu laughed. "But Hidan, you don't understand. Gozu and I don't want to fight you. We want to fight _her_."

"Ohhhhhhhh, rejected."

"Shut up Deidara," Hidan sneered. "What? Too pussy-footed to fight me?" He began to step over the bench. "Well why don't we just-"

Sakura stood up. Hidan stopped talking. She walked around the table and faced the two men. Gozu opened his mouth to speak. Before he could, Sakura punched him in the face.

Yes, a slap would have been more effective, but a punch sent through a bit more of a message, and a broken nose. Gozu doubled over in pain while his brother - Meizu was it? - snarled and rose his own fist, ready to swing.

Quickly, Sakura dropped into a crouch and whipped her leg around to catch his at it moved forward. She winced as her thigh smarted at the sudden movement, but now was not the time to stop moving.

"You fucking bitch!"

As Meizu tripped and fell, crashing into a nearby table, Gozu retaliated, blood streaming down his face and she used the moment of her sweep to rise into a high-kick and smack her foot into the side of his face. He went down again. Sakura took the opportunity to slam her heel into the small of his back and then spun back around to face Meizu who was coming at her with what seemed like a knife.

Sakura raised her elbow and blocked his attack before thrusting her fist into his stomach. He let out a gasping breath and fell to the ground. By now, the rest of their lackeys were cheering them on, but to her surprise not engaging in the fight. A previously arranged agreement? Or maybe not confident enough. As her attention drifted, she almost missed the blade moving to stab her leg. It nicked her calf as she moved to stomp down on Meizu's face and he motionless, passed out.

Movement behind her and she ducked under Gozu's arm and landed a cupped hand on his ear. He screeched and collapsed in front of her and suddenly everything was still. Sakura dusted off her hands and wiped a streak of blood off her cheek before walking back to her table to finish her breakfast. Nobody spoke as she sat down until Hidan let out a crowing cheer.

"How was that fuckers? And if you want round two I'm available to kick your asses too!"

As Sakura spooned more grain into her mouth, Deidara nudged her with his shoulder.

"Nice one, yeah. Maybe later we can go one-on-one."

"Unfortunately, you won't be training with the others today," Genma said as he stood before the table. "You have appointments for your weapons and armour. And good work by the way, it was a good show to watch. Very clean and efficient and it's nice to see those two get put in their place."

"What a pity," said Kisame, still grinning despite the early hour. "I was looking forward to crossing swords with you this afternoon. Maybe we can give that a shot tomorrow."

Sakura looked at the men around the table, more interest in their eyes than yesterday, and by the sounds of the rest of the gladiators in the hall with their cheers for her and jeers for the brothers, more respect.

"Yes, maybe later."

Sakura washed her breakfast down with a gulp of water and walked behind Genma out the building with faint calls of praise following her. She might have a better chance here than she thought.

"You know, Lee, I thought that you'd have better things to do than hang around in the forge all day."

"But Tenten! It is the springtime of our youths! And! You have not left here to experience it!"

A hammer fell onto the blade, hot and malleable as each strike shaped a dangerous edge. Tenten set down the hammer and lifted the blade eyeing it before placing it back down and continuing with her strikes. "But I have a very important order to finish and as much as I'd like to leave I can't. Also, I just don't want to."

Lee's eyes trembled as they filled up with tears and Tenten braced herself for the onslaught.

"Tenten! You cannot mean what you say! You must be passionate about y\Youth and embrace it!" Lee sobbed it all out, as water and snot poured down.

Tenten sighed. This time as she lifted up the blade, she plunged it into water; it hissed as the water evaporated into the air. This time she was satisfied with its shape. "Maybe later Lee, but not now." She walked towards the grinder and set to work sharpening the would-be sword as Lee remained blubbering on the floor. "And I have an appointment soon, so either you should leave or make yourself useful. There's a cloth on the bench, hand it to me if you could, and there's another one there for you to blow your nose."

Lee did as she asked and soon the blade was sharp and polished, almost ready for the rest of the engravings, handle, and pommel. But first, she glanced at the clock, her appointment. As she put away her tools a knock sounded at the entrance and a guard poked his head around the frame. It was Genma.

"Ah, Tenten. I've brought you your new fitting."

He walked in and behind him followed a girl, no a woman. Tenten had heard the news but it was still strange to see. However, it was clear that Lee hadn't heard anything for as soon as he set eyes on her he froze. If Tenten didn't know any better, she'd think he was petrified, perhaps in fear, but no. It was simply the calm before the… Lee.

Lee jumped into motion. "To see such a beautiful blossom in such a place is a miracle! I declare my love for you!" He ran towards her, but just before contact the woman dodged and Lee went straight into the wall.

There was silence as they all stared at Lee, at one with the stone.

"Apologies," said the woman. "He startled me."

Tenten smiled. "No worries, he's like that. Why don't you tell me what armour you prefer and then I can get to work."

NOTES

Not really anything to add at the end of this one, it was mostly just a bit of a fun filler chapter. There is the fact that gladiators generally slept on a stone slab and a straw mattress and as they fought in the Colosseum, they could buy better decorations/furniture for their rooms.

Hmu if I've missed something, and maybe, if we're lucky, there'll be a new chapter out in the near future.

I have edited all the chapters up to this one as of 2/2/19. Nothing major to the plot but it might be worth re-reading.


	8. Solitude

Sakura stared down at the boy in wonder. Although, calling him a boy was a bit out of place as he must have been her age, if not older. She turned her gaze towards the smith; if she had to guess, she'd say they were all of a similar age.

"My name is Tenten," said the smith, a smile on her lips as she raised a hand in greeting.

"And mine is Sakura. It's a pleasure." She looked around the forge. It was large and cluttered, but well used and well loved, clearly somewhere people cared for their work. Half-forged weapons and armour lay on every surface, but none looked abandoned, and of what Sakura could see of the work, it was masterfully done. It was no wonder that Tenten, and her master (for a smith no matter how talented could not own a forge so young) had a job at such a prestigious place. Creating the equipment for the gladiators of Rome, some of their most prolific fighters, would have quite a reputation. But, Tenten was the only smith in the building and that blade on the bench had the marks of one freshly tempered and the forge still hot. That spoke volumes.

"You do impressive work." Sakura looked back towards Tenten. "Where did you learn your skill?"

Tenten let a chuckle. "Well, it's a pleasant surprise for someone to think it's my work and not my father's, but I can't say I don't appreciate the compliment. Yes. some of these are mine and as my father is currently boozing it up in the country for the week, I hope you don't mind that yours will just have to be part of the collection." She turned and gestured for Sakura and Genma to follow her further inside. "I have to take your measurements and an idea of your combat style before I begin."

Sakura began to follow, but a glance at the strange man still passed out on the wall made her pause. "Should we not…"

"Ah, don't worry about Lee. He'll come 'round soon enough." Tenten cleared off a bench in the back of the room and whipped out a measuring tape. "Stand tall and spread your arms out."

Sakura stood as told while Genma headed over to recline on a chair. It was a wonder he was so relaxed all the time.

"Well, Sakura. About five and a half pes, you're surprisingly tall for a woman."

"Good thing," said Genma as he crunched into an apple that had miraculously appeared from nowhere. "I like my women tall."

"Don't we all Genma," muttered Tenten. "Don't we all."

Sakura, personally, was taking this conversation very... well... personally.

Tenten continued. "Wingspan is about the same. I've gotta say, nice proportions. And good measurements on the waist. You're fit, but not too fit." Tenten moved onto the smaller measurements. "I can't tell you how many men I have to measure armour for, and their body muscle is way out of line. Too much of it and it's gonna hinder more than help." She scribbled down the last of her notes on a piece of paper and rolled up the measuring tape. "I'm glad to see that you've got the brains to match your brawn."

"I could've have told you that," said Genma around a mouth full of apple. "You should have seen the way she wiped the floor with Hidan, and those Demon Brothers this morning certainly didn't hold a candle."

"Well nobody claimed those guys were too bright, not that I've seen many sparks in the gladiator school." Tenten moved over to a rack of weapons on the wall. "Any of these your preference in fighting?"

"A graecus, and an axe is a close second. If possible, I dual-wield them."

"Dual-wielding, and an axe for half of it? I have to say I didn't believe everything I'd heard from your fight, but the axe was certainly not the part I would have thought to be true." She searched through her collection before grabbing a variety of graecus and axes and loading them onto the table. "Any of those fit your style? I'm sorry to say but I don't think there's any chance of retrieving the ones you're familiar with, so it's either one of these or I forge a new one." 

Sakura shifted through the pile, choosing and discarding. "No matter; they may have been familiar, well worn, comfortable, but they were nothing special and of low quality. It will be nice to have one that fits my grip and balance better."

Finally, only a few weapons lay remaining on the table, the rest back on the rack. Tenten perused them carefully. "I see for the sword you favour a thinner blade, with a more than average length for your height. Better for your reach but only when you're trained to accommodate it. It's a good way to even out the balance but it's still heavier than on average. As for the axe… you clearly prefer them double-bladed, but oddly enough, you like them shorter. I'm guessing to pair better with your sword in combat."

Sakura blinked in surprise. "I never thought about it that way, but I suppose you're right. I had often just used weapons that felt right but I had never considered why they did."

"So," Tenten said. "You like to use both sword and axe, but the reach has to even out more and the blades themselves thinner for manoeuvrability. Now, pick up those on the table and tell me which ones are most comfortable and balanced to you."

Sakura reached hesitantly for one of the graecus and settled into a stance. After a few forms she could tell that the balance was not far off, but the grip was all wrong. Her sword now discarded in Suna was no masterpiece but even its hilt was better than this. She placed it down and picked up another. A better grip but much too heavy. The next was too light. Sakura ran through all the swords and axes on the table, but the result was much the same. They had promise but none could make her feel comfortable without learning how to fight around their faults. She turned back to face Tenten and conveyed her findings as Genma, now finished with his apple, dug the seeds out of the core and threw them into a pot. He was studiously ignored by both women.

"Ah." Tenten did not look surprised. "I have to say, the chance of one of these suiting you was very low. They all have been forged for men, their hilts too large and the blades themselves too unwieldy and, even then, none for the same fighting style as you either. Where did you learn something for which the weapons were so specific?" 

"It was just what came naturally. The sword was my first weapon, and the axe was one that I had to be comfortable with. When there's no swords around you have to make do."

"I can see that you're ambidextrous. Was that a habit of necessity too?"

Sakura looked at the sword and the axe currently in her grip and with a quick flick of her wrists swapped them over. She flexed her fingers. "I've always practiced with either hand. If I wasn't ambidextrous when I first started, then I certainly am now, but not of necessity, it was just what was done."

Genma whistled. "Anything else we should know about your skill set?"

"I am practiced enough in most other forms, but nowhere near as proficient. Make no mistake, I can use any of these swords and axes but if it's comfort that you are after, they don't suit me at all." Sakura lowered the weapons and placed them back on the table. "Was there anything else you wished to know, Tenten?"

"Just your armour." Tenten removed the weapons until the table was clear once more. "I assume you will need a cuirass as we have none for your… measurements, but if there are other parts that fit you well enough, I would recommend using them for now. The more we have to make, the longer it will take."

"I have no comparison for such knowledge, so I will have to take you for your word," said Sakura.

Genma stood up abruptly. "As nice as it was to see you again, Tenten, dear Sakura here has a couple of places she needs to be, and it seems like you have a fair few tasks on your hands."

"My pleasure," Tenten said dryly. "I'll have the items sent to you when completed. It should take about a week. And who knows, maybe if Sakura performs well in the colosseum, I'll see her again; most of the more famous gladiators get to look a little flashier when they perform."

Sakura inclined her head and followed Genma out of the forge, and as they turned the corner, they heard the unmistakable sound of what must have been Lee stirring from his position on the floor and lamenting to Tenten of "missing the beautiful blossom."

All Sakura could think was that Romans were strange. But then again, maybe Lee was an oddity.

Sakura was wrong. In front of her stood a man who resembled Lee in clothes, eyebrows, and haircut. And given the tears currently streaming down his face, their personalities were worryingly similar.

"Sakura, this is Might Gai, one of our doctores, trainers." Genma smiled. "You have already met his charge, Rock Lee."

Gai knelt in front of her, her hands clasped in front of him and sparkles shining from his eyes. "The power of youth is flowing from your eyes!"

Sakura erred on the side of caution. "It is… nice to make your acquaintance" 

He gasped, the volume of glittering tears increased. "Such a soothing voice and such wonderful diction. To be in your presence is an honour." 

"Hey, hey, Gai. You don't want to scare the girl." The man with a shock of silver hair yanked Gai up with the back of his shirt.

"Youthful rival! There is no need to worry! I was being nothing but a perfect gentleman!"

"Glad to see you're on time today, Kakashi. I wouldn't want to have to track you down."

"Sure, Genma. Lucky for you I didn't have anywhere else to be except to see the novelty." Kakashi turned his gaze to Sakura. "I take it this is our most recently enslaved gladiator."

His eyes were piercing. Suddenly, the past few hours of joviality washed away and memories of the last few weeks crashed down on her. Why she was here, the carnage in Suna, her kids. It was difficult to breathe. Kakashi's eyes creased and his mask curved into a smile. The feeling passed.

Shakely, Sakura composed herself and took a few calming breaths. This was serious, this was Rome.

"Yes," she said with gentle apathy. "It is my understanding that I am here for an evaluation."

Genma side-eyed her but didn't mention anything, while Kakashi simply let the smile drop.

"Yes," Genma said, the confusion apparent in his voice. "This is Kakashi Hatake, another of our doctores. We should be meeting the last one, Yamato, soon. They are some of the most senior of the doctores and will oversee your training."

Kakashi turned on his heel and walked into the yard. "Come on. We don't want to keep Yamato waiting now, do we?"

Gai hurried after him and Sakura followed. She could feel Genma's curious stare, but she kept her back straight and her stride controlled. These were Romans. They were not companions, or friends, or safe; for all she knew she had already told them too much of her past, things they could use against her. She was a slave and she needed to be much, much more careful.

Sakura joined the men in the middle of the small training yard, it was empty except for her guard and the three trainers. A private audience then.

Kakashi walked over to the rack of weapons on the wall, he took down a sword and a shield and tossed them to Sakura. Lucky for her she caught them without fumbling, this was no time to look the fool.

"Good reflexes," said the other man, Yamato she presumed. "But we don't generally try to injure our gladiators before they're trained." 

"Hey, she caught them, didn't she?" Kakashi flapped his hand. "No harm, no foul."

Gai cut in with overwhelming enthusiasm. "But that is no way to treat a lady, especially one as beautiful as Sakura here! Where is your pride as a man?!"

Kakashi took down another sword and shield. "My pride is on hold. Right now I need to test our newest gladiator." He rushed towards her.

As Genma, Gai, and Yamato stepped to the sides, all Sakura could focus on was the speed at which Kakashi swung down his sword. She felt years of training kick in and threw her shield up to block the strike before rolling to the side to avoid his next attack. The shield itself was too large, too Roman, and at this point more hindrance than help. She threw it to the side.

Kakashi tutted. "Are you sure you wanted to do that? Throw away your only form of protection?"

"My sword is protection enough." Sakura crouched down and watched as Kakashi's eyes narrowed.

"Fine," he said. "But don't be offended if I keep mine." 

He rushed her again and this time Sakura parried the blow and skittered backwards to create more space. This man trained gladiators and she had no knowledge of his skills while he had likely heard, maybe even seen her fights since she'd been here. For all she knew, he had given her the shield knowing she would throw it aside. This wasn't about proving herself by winning a fight, this was about playing it safe.

He came at her again and Sakura blocked. Again, and again Kakashi tried to land a blow and every time she studied his movements and either dodged or stopped the sword itself. But to her amazement, he did not tire nor become aggravated. This was certainly not another Hidan.

Suddenly, he stopped. Sakura watched him carefully.

"You have good technique," Kakashi said. "But you're too cautious and didn't take advantage of any of the opportunities I gave you. You fight too clean and that's not going to help you in the colosseum."

Quickly, he threw his shield at her and as she scrambled out the way, he was in her face, tossing dirt in her eyes and body checking her into the ground. As she blinked the grime out of her vision, Kakashi stood over her, sword at her throat.

"The people like excitement, and if you spend too long avoiding your opponent, you won't die by their hand, but the crowd might just get you killed."

Sakura stared at him and jolted into action. She used her sword to knock his aside, the blade just nicking her skin, and swept her legs under his. As Kakashi fell, Sakura rose and pinned his body against the ground, her sword now resting on his throat. He blinked, eyes wide.

"You wanted flare. For me to play dirty. Does this measure up?"

Behind her she could hear Gai waxing on about passion and youthfulness as beneath her, her blood dripped from her heaving throat onto Kakashi's face. To her surprise, he smiled.

"Yes," he said. "This is exactly what I want."

Kimimaro watched the morning's events with detached interest. The woman was certainly more trouble than she was worth but not an idiot. The fight was concise, well thought out and while the idiots around him cheered as blood splattered the floor, Kimimaro ran over what he knew of her. She had come in with the newest African slaves, a failed assimilation of a small town called Suna, no doubt due to the idiocy of those military dogs.

She had helped during an ambush and instead of killing her, the Emperor had found it fit to parade her in front of the masses. If he was of interest to him, she could be used; the question was how malleable she was. His meeting with the messenger would decide what should be done. Kimimaro looked to Sasori seated at the same table as the girl. She had no idea she was in the presence of another Suna gladiator yet clearly, based on the way he looked at her, he did. Perhaps something here could be exploited.

When the commotion calmed down and gladiators began to leave the hall, Kimimaro and his barracks went to their training ground. He sat in the shadows talking to a man before joining the rest in training. His master would give him orders, all he had to do now was wait.

As Sakura lay on that prickly straw mattress in that tiny cell, she couldn't stop the tears that rolled down her face. Her life was, effectively, no longer her own and the most she could do was hold back her sobs and sleep to fight another day.

Hey. So. The pes is a unit of measurement from Ancient Rome. It's similar to the Imperial measure of a foot, averaging at about 29.6cm per pes. Sakura is about 5.6 pes which is about 165cm, or 5'5". Now, the average height of woman around Roman times was about 155cm (they measured corpses for this) a good 4" shorter than Sakura. If you're curious, the average on men was 168cm so yeah, Sakura's fairly tall.

Other than that, saying her new weapons will take about a week is about right as the Roman Empire while growing needed a frequent intake of weapons and armour for the new soldiers they gained in conquered countries, especially for uniform requirements, not just general weaponry. A Roman blacksmith was capable of forging a few rough blades a day which would then be grinded and finished in the next few. Dress swords and fancy-pants armour would take a little longer for officers and other "important" officials. In other countries around the world, i.e. Japan, the swords would likely take a fair bit longer as they actually cared about the craftsmanship and quality rather than just churning them out.

The staff at a gladiator school included trainers. Usually when a new recruit, or novicius, was introduced they would be assessed by a doctor, called a medici, for health, and their fighting style and capability would be overseen by the trainers, called doctores. They were often former gladiators themselves and specialised in certain types of combat. Together these two groups were called a lanista. They would also accept the gladiator based on physical appeal as they only wanted attractive fighters. I've sort of smushed Tenten into the medici role as Sakura is a slave and therefore already required to fight and her injuries were already checked out by Moegi.

So that's about everything. See you in the next few months because I procrastinate even the things I enjoy!


	9. Secrets

Thankfully, breakfast the next day was uneventful, besides the usual stares and whispers. Sakura suspected that they would not stop for a while.

Her training with the doctores had lasted the entire afternoon, and she had cycled through all of them, sparring with each one and with many tools until she was bruised from head to toe. And they certainly didn't go easy on her, not after she had thrown Kakashi to the ground.

But while Sakura had lost many of the rounds, she felt that she had proven her worth to them as more than a woman, and more than a slave.

There were some stares that bothered her more than others. They were calculating rather than curious, and there was one in particular that she couldn't brush away. A man with long white hair had kept his eyes on her since she'd walked into the building and it was too intense to ignore. There was an intent in that stare. Finally, she met his and as she looked him down, he folded like a house made of parchment.

Perhaps he thought he was being subtle, or maybe he wanted her to see him. She turned back to her breakfast and although she knew it wasn't him, she could feel eyes on her again.

"How does it feel?" Asked Moegi.

Sakura stretched her leg as she walked around the clinic, letting the muscles pull against each other until the pain was too much. "It's sore, but not unmanageable."

Moegi sighed. "You're lucky the spike didn't do more damaged. The thigh has many nerves in it and it didn't seem to hit anything major, and it did miss the largest blood vessel. Although…"

Squinting as she beckoned Sakura closer and examined the stab wound, Moegi frowned. "I don't understand. It has only been two days and yet I swear your wound is almost completely healed!"

Sakura shrugged. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"Well yes, but I don't understand how it's possible. I had assumed it was just a surface wound based on your activity after Hidan, but the damage here is quite clear." Moegi shook her head in wonder. "Perhaps it's because you broke out of the ritual."

"Perhaps."

"But the few who fought him in the past and survived, they suffered a much longer healing time. And your hand!" Moegi pressed on. "The brand is still there, but the skin itself is almost unblemished from the burn!" She shook her head in wonder. "Have you always healed at such a rate?"

Sakura looked at her thigh, now only pink and puckered with a shiny scar now forming. "No," she said slowly. "To my knowledge, a broken bone in the past took just as long as anybody else's. But I could have been mistaken."

Moegi stared at the scar as well. "Or maybe," she pondered, wonder in her voice. "Maybe this is the work of something divine."

Kimimaro met with the man again - this time with clear instructions and a message. He memorised it and left the room. Of course his master knew what to do. He always did.

Sakura walked behind the guard from the apothecary. As they made their way towards the barracks, she still couldn't comprehend what was happening. When Hidan had first stabbed her, the pain she had felt was blinding, but now there were only twinges of pain. She furrowed her brow as she followed her guard absentmindedly down the path.

Maybe she had healed quickly in the past, but nothing to the extent she'd seen today. If she had known the extent of the damage, Sakura would have never fought those brothers in the dining hall, nor the instructors. Perhaps she should just take this as a blessing, grateful that it happened at all. But the why still escaped her. Why her? Why now? And most importantly, who was responsible?

As she ran circles in her brain, she heard the clash of swords and steel, and it slowly grew louder as she reached the barracks. Her new home, she supposed.

Sakura rounded the corner to see the other members of barrack seven training, resting, or watching, but by far one pair of fighters had her immediately enthralled.

Itachi and Kisame danced around each other; every strike precise and every movement fluid. They seemed to be on equal footing as Kisame's massive blade tried to fight its way past - and sometimes through - Itachi's staff. The joy on Kisame's face was apparent as he laughed and grinned at each blow while Itachi seemed to fight with grace but a definite level of apathy. Then again, it was difficult to tell with the blindfold and nothing to analyse but thin, strained lips.

The guard stopped at the arch and waved her through. Sakura carefully stepped around to lean against a column, hesitant to interrupt or even take her eyes off of the fight.

Deidara slid over to her, just as careful and quiet. "You know," the words slipped out from the corner of his mouth. "I may despise the Uchiha, but I can't doubt his skill. They've been going at it for near an hour."

Sakura looked more closely, and she could see the sweat shining on their skin and their chests heaving with every breath, but still their weapons stayed level and each swing of steel didn't waver in strength.

Behind them, Haku and Zabuza seemed to be practicing stances, their swords as different from each other as they are: Haku's short and slender and Zabuza's almost as large as Kisame's. They both seemed to be impartial to the spar in the middle of the yard.

The same could not be said of Hidan who hollered at Itachi and Kisame, throwing wild suggestions into the wind and yelling again as they were ignored. Similar to Sakura and Deidara, Kakuzu and Sasori were silent observers to the fight as they took in the strategy and skill that Hidan seemed to miss. Or perhaps simply wilfully ignored.

As Sakura turned her head back to watch the spar, she noticed Sasori's eyes flit in her direction. They stayed there longer than they should have, and it was an effort not to turn her head and stare right back. She knew there was something about him that rubbed her the wrong way, and although she didn't recognise him, there was something about him that was too familiar. Unnervingly so.

Her concentration snapped back to the fight as Itachi twisted his staff under Kisame's grip to send the massive blade spinning in the air. The motion left the metal tip of the staff resting just atop Kisame's head as the man's face changed from one of shock to one of laughter.

"I never can beat you, can I Itachi?" Kisame boomed. He turned to retrieve his sword from the dust as Itachi lowered the staff and walked towards the shade, reaching for a cup and pitcher of water.

Towards the side, Sakura could see Kakuzu and Sasori exchanging money, although more seemed to pass to Kakuzu's hand. So, they were gambling men, but if she had to go off of the stony look on Sasori's face, he was not the most favoured.

"Ah! Sakura!" Kisame was walking towards her, sword swung over his shoulder and mirth in his eyes. Clearly he wasn't hurt by this loss. He stopped in front of her.

"So, what did you think of the end of our spar?" Kisame flexed his muscles, the movement rippling across his body, along with a suggestive eyebrow. "Enjoy the show?"

"Your technique was quite impressive." Sakura chose her words carefully. "I'm sorry to have missed the start of it."

Kisame stared at her for a moment before throwing his head back in laughter. "You're certainly a sweet talker and I can't say I hate it. So, what do you say? A few minutes and I can be back in the dirt if you fancy a fight."

Sakura pursed her lips. It wasn't something she could avoid, and it all boiled down to weakness. If she didn't fight him she was a coward, but if she did then the worst that could happen was a beating.

She could see Deidara staring at her from the corner of her eye, his brows knitted together. As she opened her mouth to accept Kisame's offer, he spoke.

"Hey now Big Blue, you've been hogging the stage! Why don't I go toe to toe with Pinky here and I'll put on a bit of a display for all of you, yeah?"

Kisame gave him a wiry look before letting out a large, exhaustive sigh. "If I don't then you'll just bitch about it for the rest of the week. Alright, I guess Samehada will just have to make 'Pinky's' acquaintance later." His gaze turned stony. "And I will have that match, so don't get too… excited. I want my opponent in one piece."

Deidara grinned. "Don't worry about it, I'm not Hidan."

Hidan violently protested this from across the yard.

Deidara stroked the side of his sword, strange grooves were cut into the blade. "I can restrain myself for practice, and anyway, the art is better saved for the main event."

Sakura threw Kisame a quizzical glance, but he just waved her off. "If he wants to save the light show for the arena, we're better off for it. And I have to say, it's not something meant for a small stage."

Although still confused, she nodded, and followed Deidara onto the sand, grabbing a hand axe and graecus on her way. There was no point hiding her preference, not after they'd all already seen it. She took a few moments to warm up with stances and stretches, and she could see the rest of the gladiators continuing on with their own training. Sakura knew it was naive to believe they were ignoring her, but at least they were less inquisitive and invasive about it. She snorted. Not that most of these men truly cared, except Hidan of course; he stood on the sidelines, an eager gleam in his eyes. An unwilling but loyal admirer it seemed.

Sakura stood tall to face Deidara and shifted into a stance more familiar than anything and he followed suit. At a silent count, they sprang forward and the fight began.

Fighting Deidara was an experience. His entire being seemed to vibrate with excitement and his style was strange enough to be a real challenge. But this fight wasn't part of a battle or a desperate bid for survival. It was _fun_.

The joy was infectious and soon Sakura was smiling along with Deidara as they attacked and dodged and parried. She didn't have to worry about someone losing a head - they were both too skilled for that. And soon Sakura realised they had been sparing for long enough for her arms to grow tired and her muscles sore. The fight stopped when both their swords rested at each other's necks, twin smiles splitting across their faces.

As she heaved her breaths, Sakura thought maybe she couldn't trust anyone in Rome but there was certainly a comradeship to find in some of the other gladiators here. They were just as unwilling to stay here as her.

They sat on the bench, pouring water as the sun rising high in the sky hinted at lunch.

Deidara was chatting amicably about the others in barrack seven - their skills and talents.

"- And Danna, when I first got thrown in here, I wanted to put on a show just as good as he does."

Sakura raised an eyebrow at the term as she filled her cup. High praise to call someone master. "Good, is he?"

"Yeah," said Deidara. "They don't call him 'Sasori of the Red Sands' for nothing."

Sakura paused, the cup raised halfway to her lips, as she finally made the connection with the mention of that name. Suddenly, the familiarity that had haunted her since seeing Sasori turned to horror. For the 'Red Sands' made people think of the desert during sunset and the blood he spilt, but Sakura knew that the red was in the flames of the fire that razed Suna to the ground. She wasn't there when it had first happened, but she had seen the aftermath. People without homes and without families. It was why she had stayed, for those three children.

She swallowed dryly as she turned to face him, and she saw the recognition reflected in Sasori's eyes. He was still looking at her. He knew who she was all along; where she came from; the village that was destroyed when she came to Rome, and now he knew that she recognised him. He stood up quickly and strode towards his cell, without a backwards glance.

Deidara made a sound brimming with confusion. "That was weird," he said. And then he simply smiled. "Maybe he was embarrassed. It's not every day you get bragged to a pretty lady."

Sakura flashed back a strained smile, hoping it was enough to conceal what thoughts swirled inside her. All along, the man who hurt the people she loved was trapped in Rome, and as Deidara's voice continued to prattle on in the background, all Sakura could think was what was she supposed to do?

Sakura took advantage of the mild chaos in tidying up the training yard for lunch to find Sasori in his cell and slam him against the wall.

He returned her violence with a look of complete boredom, and as he spoke the apathy dripped from his words.

"I can't say I'm surprised, but people might start thinking things. Unless that's what you want."

Sakura sneered and let him drop from the wall. "You know where I came from and I'm guessing that you know what I want."

"Ah, yes. Suna." The look of boredom prevailed. "You know, you shouldn't believe all of the rumours."

"What? That you killed the Kazekage? Or set fire to the entire town?"

"I said you shouldn't believe _all_ of them. Those ones are true. But I'm going to guess that when they told you I did those despicable things it was because I was crazy and cruel." A flicker of anger crossed his stony facade. "Not that the Kazekage was both of those things and more. I liberated that town and its people."

"You left them homeless!" Sakura was finding it more and more difficult to keep her voice down.

"And yet they survived. Until the Romans came. Imagine if Suna was still the great city it once was. Think of how many more people they would have put to the sword."

"It was a massacre until I intervened! And as if destroying Suna was for the people's greater good - you never would have guessed that they would invade, nor what they would do once they walked through Suna's gates!"

Sasori, his voice still infuriatingly calm, said one thing that made her blood run cold. "If I hadn't killed the Kazekage and burned Suna, those children of yours would have been abused by their family and hunted down like dogs. You know how important the royal family was, and thanks to me they no longer exist."

Sakura knew he was right, but she hated to admit it. If people knew who those children were… then they would be better off dead.

"Fine," she hissed. "I don't condone your actions, but if you destroyed Suna for the reasons you say you did, I can understand why. But don't think for a second that this is over."

Sakura spun on her heel and left the room with the unsettling knowledge that Sasori had come out of that conversation on top. And he knew it too.

Lunch was a quiet affair. Sakura no longer felt Sasori staring at her every second she was turned in the other direction. She was still rattled by what she had discovered, but luckily, she didn't believe him to be more of a threat than before, just someone to be wary of. No, instead the staring was a lot less often and at least she knew why. Now it was just that other man who refused to hold her gaze who bothered her - the one with the long, white hair.

And at the end of the meal, as Sakura stood to follow the flow of gladiators and guards out of the building, the man caught her arm as other men, the ones who sat with him in clear solidarity during meals, blocked them from view. He pulled her from behind a column and around a corner until they were out of sight, and she let him. Sakura wanted to know exactly what he wanted.

He stood aloof in front of her, but it was clear that he was unsure, or at the very least awkward of confrontation. "I know who you are." His voice was silky and oh so unpleasant. Sakura knew she'd feel it grating at her for days to come, but at the moment, all she could feel was a growing sense of dread.

"I know where you're from." The dread hit her full force. If he knew she was from Suna, then the children… and if he knew where she was really from, then she was at a loss as to what to do.

"And I know something you don't." Sakura felt her muscles tense. "That man, the one in your barracks with the red hair, he's the one who destroyed your city, before it was just a backwater village." The man grinned a sharp, sure grin, but all Sakura could feel was an overwhelming sense of relief. He didn't know - any of it.

"Yes. Sasori. I know who he is."

The man blinked. "You know, but-" He cut off his own sentence, clearly confused.

Sakura laughed. It was hollow and unsettling, but all she could think to do. She wrenched her arm away from the man's and turned on her heel to walk out the way they came.

"If you think that is news to me, then perhaps you need to come up with something a little more… _enticing_."

She left him there, still confused and unsure as she pushed past his men and slipped into the crowd flowing out of the building.

Yeah. It's been awhile. In my defence, there was a disclaimer.

So not too much. Romans did have three meals a day: breakfast (ientaculum); lunch (prandium); dinner (cena). Quality depended on social class and leftovers were often eaten for lunch, so not very different from today except for the large quantities of processed sugar.

And Romans had relatively concrete knowledge of medical stuff. Most of it learnt from the Greeks which explains why Moegi knew about muscles and the like. And if you hadn't already guessed, stab wounds don't usually heal in a day…

Itachi has a staff. It's not a traditional Roman weapon, but I feel like it fits his character/abilities. There were no swords during this period that mirror the size of Kisame's (or Zabuza's) sword as they were mostly developed from the 14th century onwards like the claymore - the most common, largest sword in Rome was the spatha, less than a meter long. Although, the style I'm thinking of is more Japanese, like the odachi (the largest surviving one is called the Norimitsu Odachi and is 377cm long and 14.5kg - or about 12.4' and 32lbs). It's a big sword for a big man. You can probably guess what Deidara's sword is so I'll leave that for later.

I think that's everything. Work, uni, and other things are kicking my ass a little more than I'd like, but maybe there will be another chapter at some point in the future.


	10. The Thrill

Sakura woke moments before the guard called for the barracks to awake. A week into her new-found slavery and already her body was used to it. She detested that.

She swung herself out of bed and exited her cell when the guard opened it. The others were just the same as every morning - aloof or arguing.

Sakura had known that a sense of repetition when being captured was what kept a prisoner sane. She sighed. This was her repetition, but she still felt like she was going crazy. They went to breakfast; she endured the stares;; and then they spared. They ate lunch. And then they spared. They ate dinner; they bathed, separately, with a tacky innuendo from Hidan, only for the day to end and restart with the sun.

It wasn't always the same. The doctores came up with different exercises, different challenges. And there were appointments: for health and care and making sure she didn't slit her wrists in the middle of the night. Sakura was too expensive an investment for that - at least not without the entertainment that could come with her death.

The week was busy, and she knew when the month was close to ending - only a handful of days left - she would be face to face with someone in the arena. They would fight in front of a roaring crowd and as the blood spilled from her skin and her blade, the crowd would roar even louder. It was a heavy thought, and certainly not one she could simply shrug off.

There was one highlight to today, even if she was apprehensive about it. Sakura had crossed swords with Deidara and Hidan, and today she would finally get the chance to fight Kisame. She could already see it. The dust rising off the ground and sweat dripping down. A back breaking regime carefully curated by her trainers had put a hold on their match, but today Sakura could fight whomever she wanted, and one of the most dangerous gladiators in the school was willing.

Sakura took a deep breath and stood up from her mattress. She doubted she would win this fight, but that didn't matter. What mattered was impressing the other gladiators and seeing if what Kakashi had beaten into her had stuck. Because if it hadn't, then the arena and its crowds were a death sentence.

The door unlocked, and Sakura followed her guard into the morning sun, dreading her excitement.

Kiba was practically vibrating in anticipation, and while Shikamaru was feeling the usual urge to fall asleep where he sat, there was a feeling welling up inside him. Overwhelming interest in what his friends had to say.

There was a sudden shout laden with enthusiasm, and Shikamaru looked up to see - to no one's surprise - Lee, almost bounding in excitement as he made his way over. Of course, Tenten was walking calmly beside him.

"Kiba! Shikamaru! This is a joyous occasion full of the liveliness of friends and the youthfulness of youth!"

Lee stopped to strike a pose, while Tenten raised her eyes to the sky in resigned embarrassment.

"Yes, yes. All the usual youthfulness and joyousness aside, you know what we want to know." Kiba exclaimed this with his usual toothy smile. "The female gladiator, what's she like?"

Tenten and Lee shared a quick glance and replied in unison.

"Hot. So hot."

"She's built like a statue," said Tenten.

"And powerful!" Lee added.

"Oh, and smart too. Not a block head like those other gladiators."

"And overflowing with YOUTH!"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow - two was too much effort. "So you like her? But how will she do in the arena?"

"Pffft." Tenten flapped her hand. "She'll smash it. I mean, she taught those Demon Brothers a lesson, and beat Hidan into the ground."

"Hidan lost? To her? Wow," Kiba whistled, impressed. "Now I really can't wait to see her in action."

Tenten and Lee continued to reveal more and more about the gladiatrix: her name, where she came from, her fighting style, and even her apparently riveting personality. And the entire time Shikamaru did what he did best. He thought. And looking to the signs currently boasting of the upcoming event only made him think harder.

Sakura felt the stares on her again during breakfast. Nothing as intense as when she first arrived, but perhaps word of her impending spar against Kisame - easily one of the school's strongest gladiators - had made it around. She should be scared, but all Sakura could feel was the familiar thrill that she felt before every battle or match, especially against an opponent who was her equal or more. Ultimately, what she felt was the possibility of defeat, and in this case Sakura didn't feel the risk of losing the fight. Not like with Hidan where the loss would have very likely meant death. No, with this fight she could learn and feel the thrill of the fight uninhibited. And with her being lined up to be an attraction in the arena, who knows if she would even have that chance again.

They had forgone the usual armour for the friendly match, so it was simple wrappings and leather guards. At least Sakura hoped she wouldn't need metal to protect her - not that it would do much to stop one of Kisame's crushing blows. She had discovered, to her amusement, that most gladiators forwent a tunic or breastplate during training, perhaps because they were expected to do so when in the arena. Well, Sakura thought, it certainly wasn't hard on the eyes, and if the way Kisame was flexing to her and the crowd was any indicator of the norm then she didn't know what was.

With a deep breath, Sakura turned to reach for her usual gladius and axe but paused at what lay in front of her. They took her breath away. Two perfect weapons, beautifully crafted and detailed and didn't they just look the perfect fit for her hands.

"What are these?" Sakura whispered as she stretched out a figure to touch one of the hilts.

Genma let out a sharp laugh. "Presents from Tenten. You'll get the armour for your first public match, but she thought it best that you get used to your weapons as soon as possible."

"Oh," Sakura struggled to find the words. The last time she had owned such marvellous pieces of work, well, that was a long time ago. "They're mine," she said as she grasped the weapons, feeling them shift to fit her grip. "They're perfect." Tenten was truly a genius if this was her work, and Sakura couldn't wait to thank her for them.

She shot Genma a smile, one of her more honest since she'd arrived in Rome, and turned to face Kisame. A small crowd of interested viewers had gathered to view the spar. It wasn't nearly the number from when she fought Hidan, but then again maybe the novelty had worn off, and with that the danger of the fight. Kisame was busy unwrapping the bandages on his massive sword and when the wrappings fell away, their eyes met, and the thrill of the fight almost choked her.

Their gaze held for a second and then all Sakura could see was movement. For such a large man, Kisame moved incredibly fast, and most might say it impossible, but that blade swinging towards her face was no illusion. Sakura ducked under the attack and the fight was on.

This was no match like Hidan's. Sakura knew her opponent's skill and she knew that playing it safe to the point of annoyance was not, in fact, playing it safe. Kisame would accept no simple strategy. No. This man thrived on honest combat and if she sought to disrupt that, well. He might just disrupt one of her limbs.

As she wove and threaded her way through each attack, Sakura could only marvel at his stamina and precision, and it only made her more wary of their blades touching. That much strength could break through any block she attempted. Nonetheless, there was no time like the present. At Kisame's next swing, Sakura cemented her stance and raised her axe and sword in a cross guard - as high as she could to avoid the length of Kisame's sword. The blow was jarring. Sakura knew that if she was any weaker, that blade could have pushed its way past her block and into her skull. But she wasn't and it didn't. And now, it was time to take advantage of the situation.

Yanking her arms apart, Sakura pushed the massive sword to the side and as it took Kisame with him, she spun to kick into his side and knock him to the dirt.

If only it had worked.

Instead, Kisame followed the momentum and, with a demonic glint in his eyes, spun his sword in an arc. It was only the leather greaves on her leg and a fortunate angle that stopped her shin being cut in half.

As Sakura rolled away, Kisame threw his head back and laughed. "Yes! Finally, some action! And don't tell me that just the possibility of being sliced isn't as thrilling for you as it is for me."

Sakura smeared the dirt and sweat forming on her forehead. A chuckle escaped her. She couldn't agree more.

This time, Sakura was more aggressive with her attack. She sliced and thrusted for every one of Kisame's swings until the match turned chaotic and wild. Now it wasn't just Sakura sweating, Kisame looked like he was working just as hard.

At one-point, Kisame's blade barely passed over her nose, but instead of feeling terror at the near miss, Sakura only felt that thrill.

Sakura had no idea how long the match lasted, but eventually she faltered and Kisame's sword slammed her axe out of her hand. Scrambling to retaliate, Sakura ducked under the next swing and brought her gladius up to Kisame's throat. Just before the blade met skin, Kisame bent backwards and knocked her sword away. Again, Sakura lost her weapon, and this time Kisame followed up with kick to her legs, and she dropped to the ground. The air flew out of her lungs and her vision was filled with Kisame's toothy smile as he levelled his sword at her chest.

"So, that's all the fight you've got left in you?"

Sakura flashed him a quick grin before she kicked his knee in the side. As he stumbled and his sword arm wavered, she pushed forward and tackled him in the legs. The effort was enormous but Kisame landed on the ground with a massive thud.

Sakura collapsed back down next to him and they both breathed heavily as they lay in the dirt.

First a wheeze left Kisame's mouth and then they were both laughing as the gladiators watching looked on in confusion. Sakura struggled to her feet before standing in front of Kisame and extending her hand.

"That enough fight for you?"

Kisame grasped her by the arm and she heaved him upwards. "Yeah," he replied. "I think it was."

Sakura picked at her food during dinner. The fight had sparked something in her, a feeling she had sorely missed, but now it was gone, and her current situation weighed down heavily on her shoulders. She was still stuck in the school with no family or friends, just people she didn't know if she could trust.

And the month was up. Any day now and she would wake up headed for the arena. Nevertheless, she spent the rest of the day training until she fell asleep as soon as she hit her mattress. This was no time to slack off and her biggest challenges were ahead of her, not behind.

The next day she did the same, familiarising herself with her new weapons until they were simply extensions of her body. But when she exited her cell on the morrow, she could feel the air shifting and after breakfast, she was approached.

Genma shot her a quick smile. "So, time's up. How are you feeling?"

She sucked in a deep breath. "Ready, I'm ready."

Another quick smile. "Good. Because you enter the arena tomorrow."

Gladiators went into the arena every day. There were so many men at the school that fifty could be away fighting in front of the masses and that would barely make a dent in the number of gladiators. But this was apparently a special occasion. Not only was it the fifth-year anniversary of Madara's accession to emperor, but the twenty-fifth occurrence of the Ludi Victoriae Caesaris, the festival celebrating Madara's father and his conquests. The festival was due to begin tomorrow and apparently The Emperor wanted a record-breaking number of gladiators in the arena. A total of a thousand men would be fighting in the games, three-hundred of which were chosen from this school. He was also looking forward to displaying his best fighters and it was the perfect opportunity to show off his newest novelty. Her.

This meant that not only was Sakura to fight against some of the school's most proficient gladiators - some of whom she was sure she could handle - but the rest of her _roommates_ would also be in attendance. If she had to go up against Kisame again there was no doubt she would lose, and she could barely even think about Itachi. But maybe, hopefully, she wouldn't have to fight them. After all, there would be plenty of gladiators from other schools fighting, and if it came up to chance, the probability of facing men she knew personally was low.

The rest of the day saw Sakura training just as hard as she had the previous days. Every mistake was another possible failure in the arena, and while she was around familiar faces here, the arena was another battlefield with currently unknown opponents and odds. She could never be too careful.

When the afternoon rolled around, Sakura polished up her lunch and waited impatiently for the guards to call for the remainder of the day's training to being. But, to her surprise, the guards separated those destined for the games tomorrow and ushered them towards the baths. A few leers were sent her way before she was directed by Genma towards the women's bath where she found Moegi waiting for her.

"What's going on? Baths aren't usually until the evening."

Moegi pushed her towards the bath, stripping her of her tunic as she went. "They don't but we need to make you presentable for the banquet." 

Sakura scrunched her nose up in confusion as she stepped into the water. "Banquet? What banquet?"

"Oh," Moegi said. "They didn't tell you? Don't answer that, of course they didn't. Those lazy guards never tell you anything."

Moegi started to rub the oil through Sakura's hair as she did the same with her skin. She still wasn't comfortable enough to let Moegi do it for her.

"The night before a gladiator's match, they attend a dinner with all the other gladiators who will fight alongside them. It's a… final meal for those who may not survive the games."

Sakura frowned as she absentmindedly ran a cloth across her arms. "But why do I need to be presentable? I am just eating in front of other gladiators."

"No," Moegi shook her head. "The banquet is public. The common people are welcome to view you as you eat. They use the opportunity to see their favourites outside of the arena and make bets on who they believe will win. It's a blatant form of advertising for the games and you'll need to look your best to gain the public's attention." 

Sakura snorted. "I don't believe that will be a problem."

"Nevertheless, I intend on making you shine. And you'll have to act accordingly - not only will the public be judging you, other gladiators from this school and others will be sizing you up."

"Sizing me up? All those men will do is underestimate me. If they haven't seen me fight already, they'll see me and think me easy pickings."

Smiling, Moegi said "well why don't we push them in the right direction. It never hurts to be underestimated."

Now clean, Sakura rose from the water and dried off. "But I don't have anything else to wear besides my tunics. I hardly see how those can be made 'presentable'."

Reaching into a nearby basket, Moegi brought out a colourful bunch of fabric, when layed out proved to be an elaborate stola and palla.

Sakura reached out to hold the stola. "These are beautiful, but where did you get them from?"

Moegi giggled and Sakura narrowed her eyes. "They're from that handsome Roman general of yours."

Sakura gaped. "They're from Shisui? But why?"

"He knew you wouldn't yet have the funds to buy your own, so he had them made for you. Clearly he understands how important this will be for your reputation." Moegi picked up the palla and turned it over. "There was also a surprise in the stitching, but I can't claim to understand it."

Sakura glanced at the thread and struggled to hold back her tears. There, as part of the hemming, written in the Sunan dialect, were the words 'Love and Luck'. Shisui had kept his word and her children were safe and well, and most importantly, Sakura knew she could fight better with that knowledge.

She put on the white stola, Moegi helping her to adjust the clasps and the fabric itself. Clearly Temari had a hand in making it if it fit so well, or perhaps the measurements had been taken off Tenten. As Sakura fiddled with the blue palla and its message, Moegi applied the barest amount of make-up with a quick swipe of red on the lips and kohl for the eyes. After all, Moegi said laughing, it was one thing to dress up and another entirely to look like a prostitute.

A quick twist of the hair was secured with a golden clip and her arms were adorned with snakes wrapping around her forearms.

Moegi fussed around with her stola and draped the palla over Sakura's shoulders. "The clothes are a permanent gift, but the jewellery will need to be returned to Shisui after the event. Afterall, you're in the midst of some criminals and gold is a tempting prize." She cracked a grin. "Not as tempting as you though. I bet those men will have more on their minds than the festival tomorrow."

Sakura gave her a strained smile. "Lucky me." She strapped on the sandals, more ornate than she had seen in a while, and followed Moegi out the door.

The sun was barely setting as they exited the baths, and Sakura was surprised to see not another man in sight.

"Where are the other gladiators?"

"I suspect at their barracks," Moegi said. "They keep their expensive clothes in their rooms and dress for the banquet quickly there. I'm supposed to wait for a guard to escort us to the proper place, but I don't see any anywhere-"

Moegi was interrupted by a loud wolf-whistle and they turned to see Genma and Raido looking at them from where they were leaning against the building.

"No," Genma whined. "Don't turn around, I liked the view. Although…" He gave Sakura a lavish wink. "The front might be even better."

Sakura stared at Raido who let out an almighty sigh and wacked Genma in the back of the head. "Stop being a moron," he said. "I don't know why, but I expect you to have some level of decorum."

Genma huffed at Raido but managed to keep his mouth shut.

"Good," said Raido. "Now, we have a banquet to get to."

Leaving Moegi, Sakura followed the guards to the front of the school where a congregation of gladiators gathered to walk towards the banquet. They were dressed in a variety of tunics with cloaks and belts of every colour. She dealt with the renewed looks of interest from the men around her and quickly found her fellow barrack members who, unsurprisingly, wore some of the more expensive looking clothes.

"Nice outfit, Pinky," said Deidara as her draped an arm over her shoulders. "Why don't I be your date for the evening, and I'll be sure to protect you from all the wondering eyes, yeah." 

Kisame snorted and shoved Deidara aside. "Like you could do shit. I think we all know that Sakura's perfectly capable of looking after herself. And," he added. "If there's anyone she should ask, it'd be me."

Sakura watched, her heart a little lighter, as they dissolved into a bickering mess, Hidan joining in. And when Sasori sneered at her, she sneered back. Her children were well, she had more pressing matters waiting for her in the arena tomorrow, and tonight she would eat like a king.

She walked with her barrack until they reached a massive open area in the centre of the forum. Strewed around were groups of tables and chairs, and with some gladiators already arriving, food was being served. Servants walked past with trays laden with food from roast boar and fish to what smelled deliciously like honey wine.

"Is it always this grand?" Sakura asked Deidara.

"Yeah, they always give us great food, but I don't think I've seen a banquet this large before." He wiggled his eyebrows. "Not that I'm complaining. More food for me and more people to annoy the shit out of, un."

Sakura let loose a laugh and headed with her group to a set of low couches where they started to pick at the food arranged on the table, and with the atmosphere as it was, she could almost forget she was a slave. Although, she supposed, that was the point.

To her surprise, Sakura saw throughout the night that after the mass of gladiators from the other schools had joined the festivities, that other people were filtering through the crowd. Men, and a few women, who didn't have the muscles or scars of seasoned fighters and seemed… soft. A pair approached a group of gladiators near her and she watched as they talked, as the gladiators acted charming towards the visitors, and by the time the couple moved on to another group, both parties were left with a smile on their faces.

Kisame noticed where her attention lay and leaned in close. "They're either sponsors or betters, checking out the competition before they decide who to back in the games."

Sakura sipped at her honeyed wine - it was really quite good. "I'm a little surprised that none have approached you. Surely yours and the other's reputation would draw them in."

"Well, if they did come over, they'd have to face people as grouchy as Zabuza and Kakuzu, and Hidan isn't known for his winning personality. They know our reputation and that we don't lose. They don't need to come over unless they're brave enough to." He glanced towards Itachi. "And it's dangerous to be seen getting too comfortable with The Emperor's disgraced nephew."

Sakura hummed in agreement and continued to watch the crowd. Every now and then, gladiators who she'd never seen before, possibly from other schools, would approach and share words with the more sociable of them, namely Kisame and Deidara. She did, however, notice them giving her strange looks. Perhaps it was the novelty of seeing her for the first time, or maybe they didn't know who she was. There was, after all, no reason for the other schools to know of her existence, least of all them know the novelty was her.

"Sakura!" She turned to see Tenten pushing through the crowd towards her, a few men following her and one of whom she recognised to be Lee. Sakura stood up to greet her, and with a quick wave to the other gladiators, followed Tenten to another empty table.

Tenten shoved a cup into each of her companions' hands and looked pointedly at Sakura. Tenten pointed at the man sitting next to her with the short, jagged hair and sharp, red tattoos on his cheeks. "That's Kiba, and the other one's Shikamaru, and you've already met Lee, obviously."

Sakura smiled kindly at Tenten's companions but had to avoid looking at Lee directly, even at night his teeth and residual sparkles were blinding.

"Damn," said Kiba. "You weren't kidding, were you? Pink hair and all she's pretty nice to look at."

Tenten muttered under her breath before shoving Kiba off his seat. "We all know that, but you don't have to shove it in her face."

Sakura shared a quick glance with Shikamaru who looked equally as uncomfortable and gulped down her wine. Well, birds of a feather flock together, so no surprise that the rest of Tenten's friends were as eccentric as her and Lee.

"Ah, Tenten. I meant to thank you for the sword and axe. They are both beautifully crafted."

Tenten laughed. "I sure hope they are. They're some of my best work yet and -oh! Wait until you see your armour! Definitely the most fun I've had in a while, and I bet it fits perfectly."

"And if it fits as well as your current clothes, I can't wait to see you in it-"

This time, Tenten and Lee pushed Kiba so hard off his seat, both he and his chair toppled over. As they bickered together, Sakura turned to Shikamaru.

"So… how long have you known each other."

Shikamaru grunted. "Since we were kids." He sighed. "It's been _troublesome_." 

Sakura snickered and spent time talking to Shikamaru, Kiba, Lee, and Tenten, and by the time they and other guests began to leave, they were all full on food and wine. They stumbled towards their homes and Sakura stood to return to her original table where she could see Kisame and the others still sitting, rather tipsy herself. But then, her view was blocked by a body. She looked up to see a man, another gladiator by the looks of it. He sneered down at her.

"Why don't we find a little corner and you can treat me to a little fun." He slurred, clearly meant as a demand and not a question.

She grimaced up at him. "You seem to have the wrong idea. I'm not here to entertain."

"Bullllshit. I see that brand on your hand. You're a slave and the only reason you'd be here all dressed up and talking with guests is to provide pleasure. And it looks to me like you're all freed up."

Her brand. She'd had it for so long, she'd forgotten its implications. She felt disgusted with herself. Was she really becoming that complacent with her life? Well, thought Sakura. That certainly explained all the strange looks she'd been getting all evening. These bastards thought she was a whore. She stood up straighter.

"I am not here for yours nor any other man's leisure."

"No way, I'm not letting you get away." The man reached out to grab Sakura's arm and pull her towards him, but the moment he made contact, Sakura grasped him by the neck and flipped him onto his back, not a hair out of place. He stared up at her, eyes wide and opened his mouth in indignation. But Sakura didn't give him the chance.

She grinded her heel into his face and said "try that again and you would wish you were able to breath tomorrow, let alone fight. And who knows, maybe I'll beat that into you again in the arena."

Sakura could see his weak mind connecting the dots. "You're the gladiatrix?" He spluttered.

"That's right, but I'm not sure how much of a gladiator you are."

She gave his face one last shove before spinning on her heel and walking towards her fellow barrack members, who had looked over at the commotion.

Kisame nudged Deidara in the side who stumbled slightly in his stupor. "See? I told you she could take care of herself. Now why don't you come sit down and have a bit of fun?"

Sakura joined in the festivities and even broke conversation with the quietest of the group. After all, they might die tomorrow, so why not enjoy it while they could?

Soooo, been awhile. Bit busy with work, uni, and health things so here's a little bit of a longer chapter to make up for it.

Quick crash-course on festivals and clothing. Rome didn't have any weekends but they had a ton of festivals - so many in fact that the one mentioned in this chapter, the Ludi Victoriae Caesaris, is one of dozens. This one in particular celebrated Caesar's conquests and took place over 10 days from the 20th-30th of July (the last four days are chariot racing) and I mashed that in with Madara's rise to emperor as there isn't really any clear date that Augustus became emperor himself, just a general time frame as he wasn't considered the first emperor until after his reign so yeah, creative liberties.

There were multiple gladiator schools in Rome at any given time, sometimes up to 100, and they were in constant competition but as Sakura's (or more accurately Danzo's) is based on the largest school ever recorded in Rome, they got to submit the most gladiators. 1000 itself is quite a large number as the largest recorded was the 320 pairs of gladiators (640 total) Caesar conducted for his father's 'funeral' but after which a general cap of 120 total gladiators was eventually put in place. But ya know. Creative liberties.

Women did wear tunics but they were generally seen as for the poor or even undergarments, and it was best to wear a stola, a sort of cinched dress, with a palla, a very useful shawl that all women tried to wear. Sometimes, it could come in handy as an umbrella. Jewellery was very 'in' and the more intricate and plentiful, the better. On the other hand, Roman women favoured subtle cosmetics and a natural look, as excessive use was seen as a staple for 'loose women', or courtesans. Men, however, only wore togas as a high symbol of status so only powerful citizens were allowed to wear them. Slaves and gladiators were given payments to buy their own clothes and the like but could only wear tunics with cloaks or belts - the colour and fabric also displayed one's wealth.

A cena libera was an opportunity sometimes given to gladiators as a sort of last hurrah. They ate fancy food and drank - a far cry from their regularly scheduled program of grain, beans, and oatmeal. It was a public event open to possible visitors of the arena to give them the opportunity to meet their 'heroes' and see who they wanted to bid on during the games.

I think that's everything. Hmu if there's something I missed, and maybe there'll be a new chapter sometime in the future.


End file.
